


The Avengers and Phoenix: Avengers Assemble

by StrikeMoonstone9387



Series: The Firebird Chronicles [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Family Secrets, Protective Avengers, Protective Hulk (Marvel), Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Steve Rogers, Protective Thor (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:22:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22587841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrikeMoonstone9387/pseuds/StrikeMoonstone9387
Summary: Evelyn Stark is Tony’s younger sister. A young woman with a long and complicated past, she has a unique connection to Steve Rogers, the man the world knows as Captain America, and an unexpected tie to Thor, the Norse God of Thunder and Lightning.When Nick Fury assembles a group of heroes for the Avengers Initiative, Evelyn is called as well. The catch? She’s 6 months pregnant. The twist? One of her new team mates, aside from Tony and Natasha for obvious reasons, is the father of her baby.
Relationships: Avengers Team & Original Female Character(s), Phil Coulson & Original Female Character(s), Pre-Thor/ OFC, Steve Rogers & Original Female Character(s), Thor & Original Female Character(s), Tony Stark & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Firebird Chronicles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625269
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Dr. Evelyn Stark was Tony Stark’s younger sister and the younger heiress to the Stark Family fortune. A strikingly beautiful young woman and a brilliant doctor/ scientist, she was also a remarkably powerful elemental. However, it wasn’t the powers that was her biggest secret. It was something else. Something that only the Stark family, Edwin Jarvis and later Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, James Rhodes, Phil Coulson and Nick Fury, knew.

This secret, which has been kept for nearly 70 years, will soon come to light when the Avengers Assemble.


	2. The Call to Assemble

_Notes: Evelyn looks like Holland Roden with red hair and green eyes._

**Chapter** **1: The Call to Assemble**

_New York, Earth_

_May 2nd_ _, 2012_

Dr. Evelyn Stark sat on the sofa in the penthouse floor of Stark Tower with her older brother Tony’s girlfriend, Pepper Potts. Both women were communicating with Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, who was underwater, replacing an energy conductor line with a portable arc reactor. It would allow Stark Tower to run off of self-sustaining clean energy.

Evelyn had her feet propped up beside her, looking at the data-pad. She was barefoot, dressed in a pair of jeans and one of her brother’s button-down shirts, her long hair tied in thick braid thrown over her shoulder. The shirt was stretched around her 6-month pregnant belly, the baby inside kicking away happily and entirely unconcerned with causing the woman any discomfort.

_“Good to go on this end.”_ Tony’s voice came over the communication system. _“The rest is up to you ladies.”_

“Did you disconnect the transmission lines?” Evelyn asked in a soft yet cultured British accent, gained from what the public assumed was having spent most of her life hidden away in a private boarding school in England. “You’re certain we’re off the grid?”

The younger Stark heiress had dark ruby red hair that reached her hips, flawless porcelain skin, and emerald green eyes. A striking beauty with an ever present, gentle smile on her pouty, plump lips and kind eyes, she stood at 4’10 and, at least before she became pregnant, had an hourglass figure. Despite her belly growing to accommodate her child, she still walked with an effortless grace that could rival a jungle cat and was as lethal as ever. There were many, particularly the SHIELD agents that she was acquainted with, who believed that she was more of a force to be reckoned with since she became pregnant, her desire to protect her child from harm making her absolutely lethal.

_“Stark Tower is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy.”_ Tony replied, a smile in his voice.

“Well, assuming the arc reactor takes over and actually works.” Pepper sassed, standing at the work table and grinning across the room at Evelyn.

Like Evelyn, Pepper was barefoot and dressed casually in a pair of denim booty shorts and a white button-down shirt. Her short ginger hair was open, tucked behind her ears while her bangs teased her forehead playfully. The CEO of Stark Industries, she and Evelyn were best friends despite her initial misgivings that the company should have been given to the younger Stark heiress instead of her. It was only after being clued in to a Stark family secret regarding Evelyn that was closely guarded to the point that only the Stark family, their previous butler, Edwin Jarvis whom JARVIS had been partially named after, James Rhodes, Happy Hogan, Nick Fury and Phil Coulson had known that she accepted her new role with the company.

The secret was that she _wasn’t_ Tony’s sister, rather she was his aunt, his father’s fraternal twin sister who, according to public record, had died in 1991 with Howard and Maria Stark. Estelle, or Evelyn as she was now known as, was gifted with powerful elemental abilities which, combined with Dr. Erskine’s Super Soldier formula, made her long-lived to the point of immortality. It was this immortality that kept her from aging like an ordinary human, not appearing to have aged at all in the time between 1943 and 2012, still looking 26 like she had during World War II.

Born only a few minutes after Howard on August 15, 1917, she was named Estelle ‘Stella’ Stark and grew up to become a leading scientist in the field of Biochemical Engineering and as a result, was drafted to the Super Soldier Program. Having fought alongside Captain America and the Howling Commandos, she all but disappeared from the public eye when she learned that SHIELD and several agencies were trying to recreate the Super Soldier formula, eventually making it look like she had died with her brother and sister-in-law in a car accident in 1991 – when in fact, at the time, she had been at home with Jarvis and a then 21 year old Tony.

_“I assume.”_ Tony said, his mock-offended tone making the two redheads giggle. They became serious as he ordered, _“Light her up.”_

Evelyn entered the sequence into her data-pad and lit up the Tower, the STARK name on the side flickering on in a brilliant and fluorescent white light.

“How does it look?” Pepper asked, breathless with anticipation.

_“Like Christmas.”_ Tony replied. _“But with more me.”_

“We have to go wider on the public awareness campaign.” Evelyn said, focusing on her data-pad and expertly tuning out her brother and her best friend making sultry eyes at each other over the video communicators. “You need to do some press. And I mean you, Tony, not Pepper or I.”

“And remember, I’m going to be in DC tomorrow.” Pepper added. “I’m working on the zoning for the next three buildings.”

_“Pepper, Eves, you two are killing me.”_ Tony groaned. _“The moment, remember? Enjoy the moment.”_

“Get in here and I will.” Pepper said in a sultry voice.

There was a light banging sound on the landing pad, signaling Tony’s landing as the automated system began removing pieces of his armor while he walked towards the penthouse.

“Keep it PG, you two.” Evelyn said, laughing lightly. “At least while I’m around. The last thing I want to witness is the two of you ‘enjoying the moment’. Again.”

Pepper blushed, remembering the latest incident Evelyn was referring to. Several weeks earlier, the heiress had accidentally walked in on the couple while they were in the midst of an impromptu romp in the lab.

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Pepper said sheepishly, making a valiant effort to get rid of the furious blush staining her cheeks.

“Don’t worry about it.” Evelyn said, her laughter slowing to giggles. “It wouldn’t be the first time I had walked in on you two and if he’s anything like Howard was, it certainly won’t be the last.”

Pepper shrugged in agreement, still getting used to the idea that Evelyn and Estelle were actually the same person, even if they looked completely different. She turned back at the hollo-screen, looking at the readouts that were displayed.

“Levels are holding steady, I think.” She said, biting her lip uncertainly.

“Of course they are.” Tony said as he walked into the room before Evelyn could say anything. “I was directly involved.” He went to his sister and kissed her forehead, rubbing her baby bump with a gentle hand before turning and crossing the distance towards his girlfriend. “Which brings me to my next question. How does it feel to be a genius, Pepper?”

“Well, I really wouldn’t know now, would I?” Pepper replied, smiling as Tony wrapped his arms around her waist. “You and Evy are the geniuses.”

“What do you mean?” Evelyn asked in confusion, cocking her head to the side as she looked over at her friend.

“All this came from you.” Tony said, gesturing around the penthouse.

“No, all this came from that.” Pepper said, smiling softly and gently tapping the miniature arc reactor in the billionaire’s chest.

“You need to give yourself more credit, Pepper.” Evelyn said, wincing slightly as the baby gave a particularly hard kick against her ribs. “You’re the one that helped me keep Tony in line for years, which is a feat in and of itself.”

“Eves is right.” Tony agreed, not about to argue with a true fact or with his pregnant aunt-turned-sister. “Stark Tower is your baby. Give yourself… 12% of the credit.”

“12%?” Pepper repeated, looking decidedly unimpressed as Evelyn snickered in the background.

“An argument can be made for 15.” Tony amended hurriedly.

“12%?” Pepper repeated, walking away from him and moving towards the coffee table that held a bucket of chilling champagne. “My baby?”

“Well, I did do all the heavy lifting.” Tony pointed out. “Literally, I lifted the heavy things.”

“That’s only because I’m pregnant and you don’t let me lift _anything_.” Evelyn pointed out, smirking at her brother. “Not even with my powers unless absolutely necessary.”

“And sorry, but the security snafu?” Tony reminded them, pointing in the general direction of the elevator. “That was on the two of you.”

“How is that on us?” Evelyn asked incredulously, accepting the flute of sparkling cider from Pepper in lieu of champagne.

“My private elevator…” Tony continued.

“You mean _our_ elevator?” Pepper corrected, pouring herself and Tony some champagne.

“It was teeming with sweaty workmen.” Tony continued, eyeing the elevator and remembering the sight of the workmen.

“They may have been sweaty, but they sure were gorgeous.” Evelyn said loftily, exchanging a smirk with Pepper.

“I’m going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren’t I?” Tony asked knowingly as he lowered himself onto the ground next to Pepper.

“It’s not going to be that subtle.” Pepper said with a smirk, handing him his champagne flute.

Evelyn snickered, making a mental note to ensure JARVIS soundproofed Tony and Pepper’s room before she went to bed.

“I tell you what, the next building is gonna say ‘Potts’ on the tower.” Tony said in an attempt to bargain his way out of what was likely to be some serious trouble.

“On the lease.” Pepper said, smirking up at her boyfriend.

“Call your mom.” Tony said, wincing. “Can you bunk over?”

“Tony, you do realize that trying to bargain your way out of trouble isn’t going to work, don’t you?” Evelyn asked, looking at her brother with an amused expression on her face.

Pepper and Evelyn laughed, sipping their drinks.

_“Sir, Ma’am, the telephone.”_ JARVIS said, cutting in. _“I’m afraid my protocols are being overridden.”_

“What?!” Evelyn said, alarm crossing her features.

_“Mr. Stark, Dr. Stark. We need to talk.”_ A faint tinny of a man’s voice called through Tony’s phone.

Tony groaned and picked the phone up, holding it to his face and adopting a blank expression. On the screen was a small photo of SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson.

“You have reached the Life-Model Decoy of Tony Stark.” Tony said in a monotone voice. Pepper and Evelyn exchanged looks, laughing quietly. “Please leave a message.”

_“This is urgent.”_ Phil said, years of training and being a SHIELD agent keeping his irritation at the billionaire off his face.

“Is this about Evelyn’s pregnancy?” Tony asked, his expression becoming concerned while Evelyn and Pepper exchanged equally worried looks.

Evelyn didn’t know how she became pregnant; she wasn’t one to have one-night stands, if ever, while also being a woman who could clear out a brewery without being affected by the alcohol, thanks to her powers combined with the Super Serum. The few brief flings she did have had all ended on relatively good terms and in the time frame in question, she had been single. The only thing she remembered was going to a bar after a long day at Stark Industries to wind down before going home to the Mansion. The trip to the bar had also been in an attempt to give Tony and Pepper some much needed alone time. The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a motel room the following morning with no idea of how she got there or what had occurred after her first drink at the bar.

Though pretty much all of SHIELD was aware of the situation, Phil and a few agents were investigating her whereabouts and movements 6 months earlier, around late October-early November, in the hopes that they would be able to discover what had happened to her. Thankfully, all the tests that had been run, by SHIELD and by Tony himself, came back clean of any signs of assault, sexual or otherwise. The only evidence to her kidnapping was that she had ended up surgically impregnated with no idea who the father was.

_“No, there hasn’t been any new developments in the case.”_ Phil replied apologetically. Evelyn and Pepper sighed in disappointment. _“But this is just as urgent.”_

“Then leave your message urgently.” Tony said, masking his own disappointment behind his flippant demeanor. The elevator doors opened and the three looked over to see Phil standing there with his phone held to his ear, a decidedly unimpressed look on his face. “Security breach!” Tony called upon seeing the agent, turning to Evelyn and Pepper as he added, “It’s on you two.”

“Mr. Stark, Dr. Stark.” Phil greeted, pocketing his phone. His bland expression when greeting Tony warmed and a small smile crossed his face when he greeted Evelyn. While Phil and Evelyn had only known each other for a few years, the two had become rather good friends and he was one of the people helping her in regards to her pregnancy. He was also among the handful of people who knew her secret, being told by Evelyn when he had confronted her about it a few years earlier.

“Phil!” Evelyn and Pepper exclaimed brightly in unison.

“Come in!” Evelyn added, struggling to her feet and managing to get up on the second try.

“‘Phil’?” Tony repeated in confusion, he and Pepper also getting to their feet, champagne flutes in hand.

“I can’t stay.” Phil said apologetically, entering the room and hugging Evelyn warmly before letting her go.

“Uh, his first name is ‘Agent’.” Tony said, pointing at the agent and looking at Pepper’s back.

“Come on in.” Pepper invited, smiling warmly. “We’re celebrating.”

“Which is why he can’t stay.” Tony muttered, only to be ignored.

“We need you and Evelyn to look this over.” Phil said, holding a tablet profile packet out to Tony.

“I don’t like being handed things.” Tony said, looking at the tablet distastefully and shaking his head.

“That’s fine, because I love to be handed things.” Pepper said, reaching out to take the tablet while handing Phil her flute. “So, let’s trade.” Phil took the flute, handing the tablet to her. She turned and handed it to Tony, smoothly taking his champagne flute from him. “Thank you.” She chirped, taking a long sip from the flute.

“Official consulting hours are between 8 and 5 every other… Thursday.” Tony said dryly.

“This isn’t a consultation.” Phil said gravely.

“Is this about the Avengers?” Pepper asked, making Phil look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Which I know nothing about.” She hurriedly added.

“Wasn’t the Avengers Initiative scrapped?” Evelyn asked curiously as Tony grumbled under his breath.

He moved towards the desk with Evelyn beside him, opening the tablet and perusing through the electronic documents, angled so that the petite redhead could see as well.

“And I didn’t even qualify.” Tony snarked, shooting a glare in Phil’s direction.

“I didn’t know that either.” Pepper said, shaking her head innocently.

“That is because Tony is volatile, self-obsessed and doesn’t play well with others.” Evelyn said dryly, rolling her large eyes. “Among other things.”

“That I did know.” Pepper said, nodding.

“Honestly, I would have been surprised if you didn’t know that, Pepper.” Evelyn called absently.

Evelyn _had_ qualified for the Initiative but declined the position, stating that she had enough to deal with as it was without adding the fate of the world on her shoulders, even if it was as part of a team. Privately, it was also because she had survived being a beacon of hope for the nation once, she was in no hurry to become one, or anything of the sort, again.

“This isn’t about personality profiles anymore.” Phil said in the same grave tone he had used earlier.

“Whatever.” Tony said dismissively, putting the tablet on his desk without looking away from it, Evelyn standing beside him and not looking away either. “Ms. Potts, got a second?”

“Half a mo.” Pepper whispered to Phil before turning and walking over to Tony and Evelyn, standing on her boyfriend’s other side.

“You know, I thought we were having a moment.” Tony said, transferring the data on the tablet to JARVIS’ mainframe.

“I was having 12% of a moment.” Pepper sassed.

“You can’t exactly have a moment while I’m here.” Evelyn pointed out. “It defeats the purpose of you two having alone time.”

“Eves, things didn’t exactly go well the last time you decided to give us some alone time.” Tony said, glancing at her briefly. “So, for the time being, you’re stuck being the third wheel.”

“You’d better get used to it, Evelyn.” Pepper added. She was in complete agreement with Tony in not letting Evelyn out of their sight. While it did put a damper on Pepper and Tony’s relationship at times, Evelyn being safe was more important than the interrupted moments between the couple just when things were getting hot and heavy.

However, to her credit, Evelyn did try to give them their space as much as she could, letting them have their dates and making herself scarce when things became intense between the couple. And aside from the few occasions where she would accidentally walk in on them, the three had managed to make things work.

Evelyn sighed and glanced over her shoulder at Phil. She turned back to Tony and Pepper, a worried look crossing her features.

“Phil’s incredibly shaken.” She said softly to her brother and his girlfriend. “Whatever this is, it’s serious.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too.” Pepper said softly.

“How would either of you know if it’s…” Tony started before trailing off, realizing that Evelyn had spent enough time in the agent’s company, especially over the past 6 months, to be able to read him relatively well. He turned to Pepper, an irritated look crossing his face. “Why is he ‘Phil’?”

“What is all this?” Pepper asked instead of replying, looking at the electronic files, partly curious and partly worried.

“This is...” Tony started, sending the files up onto the hollo-screens that were above the desk. “This.”

The three of them looked at the files in stunned disbelief, audio/video footage of the various battles fought over the past few years overlapping and creating a cacophony of sound that filled the room. There was even footage of the battles Evelyn (as Stella) and Captain America had fought nearly 70 years ago, in black and white while the more recent battles were in color.

“Dear God.” Evelyn breathed, staring at the screens with wide emerald green eyes. She reached out with a slightly trembling hand to touch the holographic image of a blue cube, a cube that wasn’t an ordinary cube but the – “Tesseract.”

“I’m going to take the jet to DC tonight.” Pepper said softly, her eyes wide.

“Tomorrow.” Tony corrected, his gaze not moving away from the hollo-screens.

“You and Evelyn have homework.” Pepper said, also not looking away from the screens.

“We have a lot of homework.” Evelyn corrected, her gaze on the screens just like the other two.

“Well, what if I didn’t?” Tony asked, tearing his gaze away from the screens and looking at Pepper.

“If you didn’t?” Pepper repeated, looking at Tony with a knowing glint in her eyes. “You mean when you’ve finished?” He nodded in response, not looking away from her. “Well, then…”

She leaned over and whispered in his ear for several seconds, Evelyn adamantly _not_ looking at them. Pepper pulled back and looked at him, a sultry smile on her face.

“Square deal.” Tony said slightly breathlessly, nodding. “Fly safe.”

Evelyn giggled as Tony and Pepper leaned towards each other and kissed sweetly. They pulled apart several seconds later. “Work hard.” She whispered before turning to Evelyn and hugging her tightly. “Be safe.” She pulled away from the smaller redhead and bent over slightly, putting her hand on the baby bump as she added, “And you, let Mummy and Uncle Tony work.”

As though hearing Aunt Pepper’s words, the baby gave a particularly hard kick to Evelyn’s abdomen.

“Ow.” Evelyn cried with a wince, rubbing the spot the baby had kicked. “I don’t think the baby particularly cares if we’re working or not.”

Pepper laughed lightly and pressed a kiss to her fingers before placing those fingers to the bump. She smiled at the siblings and turned, walking towards Phil.

“So, any chance you’re driving by LaGuardia?” Pepper asked as Tony and Evelyn watched her retreating back.

“I can drop you.” Phil offered.

“Fantastic.” Pepper said happily as Tony and Evelyn turned to the hollo-images, Tony picking up the 3D hollo-image of a glowing light blue cube. “So, I wanna hear about the cellist. Is that still a thing?”

“She moved back to Portland.” Phil replied as he and Pepper got into the elevator.

“What?” Pepper asked in surprise. “Boo!”

As the elevator doors closed behind the pair, Tony and Evelyn focused on the 3D hollo-images in front of them, getting to work on the task they had been assigned.


	3. The Act at Stuttgart

**Chapter 2: The Act at Stuttgart**

_ May 3rd _ _ , 2012 _

“Tony, SHIELD has a hit on Loki in Germany.” Evelyn called into her comm unit that was integrated into a pair of star-shaped diamond and sapphire earrings*, flying alongside her brother over the Atlantic. Her powers over the elements enabled her to manipulate the air currents so she could fly on the wind.

The pair were headed to the SHIELD Helicarrier where they would meet the rest of the Avengers. They had spent the previous night studying the files Phil had given them (Erik Selvig’s research on the Tesseract and the confidential material concerning the potential members of the Avengers Initiative) and learning everything they could about the field of astrophysics.

Tony was wearing his Iron Man armor while Evelyn was wearing her combat outfit, the same outfit she had worn during World War II when she had fought alongside Captain America and the Commandos. However, due to her pregnancy and growing frame, Tony recreated it with a mesh-like material that expanded with her belly.

It consisted of a knee-length, navy blue handkerchief dress with a sweetheart neckline, held by a thin buckle strap on each shoulder. The belt on her hips that dipped below her belly was the same navy blue, though the buckle and accents were a dark metallic blue*. Her arms were bare, except for the navy blue fingerless arm guards covering the back of her palms from her middle finger to halfway up her forearms, made from Vibranium and decorated with delicate, dark metallic blue patterns*. Instead of shoes, she had a pair of navy blue ‘barefoot sandals’ wrapped around her calves from her middle toe up to her knees*. Her ‘square-oval’ shaped nails, fingernails kept at about ½ an inch in length while toenails were kept short and normally painted in neutral or light colors, were painted the same dark metallic blue as the accents of her suit*. To keep her long hair out of her way, she had the top front portion tied back in an intricate 5-strand braid while the bottom half flowed freely down her back in gentle waves*.

_ “Changing flight route.” _ Tony said in response, veering towards the right and heading towards Europe where the sky was darkening into night.

“Director, we’re on route.” Evelyn said into her headset.

_ “Agent Hill’s sent you the coordinates.” _ Fury replied as Tony gave a ‘thumbs up’ in confirmation.

“Confirmed. Iron Man has the coordinates.” Evelyn said briskly, following her brother across the ocean.

_ “Agent Romanoff is already on sight, along with Captain America.” _ Fury informed her.

“Understood.” Evelyn said, forcefully keeping herself from thinking about the best friend she thought she had lost 70 years earlier.

While waiting for Steve to regain consciousness after he was thawed, Fury had contacted her and told her of her former partner’s survival; he was among the few who knew that Estelle Stark and Evelyn Stark were the same person, also knowing of her history with Captain America and how they were both the first Avengers. She had immediately made her way to New York and had been with the Director when informing Steve of the truth - that 70 years had passed. They had also explained to him about Evelyn’s changed appearance and how she was now going by ‘Evelyn Stark’, Howard’s daughter who ‘took the world by storm’.

Over the intervening months, Steve and Evelyn hadn’t had the chance to meet up as often as they wanted since Steve had spent most of the time at the Retreat and acclimatizing to the 21 st Century while she herself had been dealing with Tony and later the events surrounding her pregnancy. However, they had frequently spoken over the phone, Evelyn helping him deal with the loss of almost everyone he had ever known, a loss she still keenly felt herself.

The only person they knew from that time who was still alive was Peggy Carter, Steve’s first love and Evelyn’s best friend. Unfortunately, the feisty British-born woman suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and struggled to recognize either of them, not even Steve who hadn’t had to change his appearance and still looked exactly the same as he had the day he had gone into the ice.

_ “Be careful, Phoenix.” _ Fury said, his tone holding a hint of concern for the pregnant woman.

‘Phoenix’ was the codename that had been given to her by the public following her and Tony’s fight against Obadiah in November, 2010. Initially, she had worn a mask that covered the upper part of her face to ensure she wasn’t recognized, but upon revealing herself as the heroine, she stopped using it. The communications unit that had been wired in the mask was instead integrated into a pair of earrings that had been gifted to her by Tony which she had taken to wearing with her suit.

“Always am.” Evelyn chirped cheekily before ending the call.

_ “We’re a few minutes out from land.” _ Tony called over the headset.

“Got it.” Evelyn replied, picking up speed so she was directly next to her brother.

“When we reach, I want you to join Romanoff while I help the Captain.” Tony said, lowering his helmet so he could look at his sister.

“Fine.” Evelyn said, shooting him a look that said she wanted to argue but decided against it. “But you get killed or injured, you’re going to be in big trouble Anthony.”

“Noted.” Tony said, gulping slightly.

Evelyn, since she had taken on the role of being his sister instead of his aunt, had only ever called him by his full name if he was in trouble or to make a point very, _ very  _ crystal clear.

Reaching Europe, they crossed the land into Germany at near-neck-breaking speeds, reaching Stuttgart within the hour.

_ “There’s the Quinjet.” _ Tony said, seeing the jet in the distance, the forward turret visible and aimed in the general direction of the ground where he could see two figures fighting, Loki dressed in green and gold Asgardian armor and Captain America dressed in the new red, white and blue costume designed by SHIELD. Evelyn veered away from him, heading towards the jet while Tony accessed the jet’s communication system.  _ “Agent Romanoff. You miss us?” _

“Tony.” Evelyn sighed, reaching the Quinjet and knocking on the loading hatch doors at the rear end.

_ “Agents, if you would be so kind as to let Evelyn inside the jet.” _ Tony said pointedly.

The doors opened in response and Evelyn flew inside. “Thank you.” She chirped, smiling sweetly at the two agents in the pilot and co-pilot seats as she landed on silent feet.

“Hey, Evy.” Natasha greeted warmly, smiling over her shoulder at the pregnant woman.

“Hey Natasha, good to see you again.” Evelyn said, managing to smile and wince at the same time as the baby gave a particularly hard kick. “Ow. Kidney shot.”

Their attention was drawn back to the front as Tony hijacked the PA system and the beginning strains of ‘Shoot to Thrill’ began playing over the speakers. Evelyn sighed and rolled her eyes, shrugging at the exasperated looks Natasha and her co-pilot shot her. They looked out the front windshield to see Tony fly into view, firing his blasters at Loki.

The Asgardian was thrown back from the force of the blasters while Tony landed on one knee. Slowly rising to his feet, the Man of Iron aimed his armor’s weapons at Loki, the soft hiss of the machinery distinctive despite the music blaring from the Quinjet’s speaker.

_ “Make your move, Reindeer Games.” _ Tony challenged.

Steve grabbed his shield and moved to stand beside Tony, showing a united front against their opponent. Loki looked at the two of them for a moment before letting his armor and helmet melt away, leaving him in the dark green and black Asgardian clothing he had been wearing underneath. He raised his hands slowly in surrender and Tony retracted his weapons in response.

_ “Good move. ” _ Tony said.

_ “Mr. Stark.” _ Steve said, panting lightly, the fight having actually been a challenge for the Super Soldier.

_ “Captain.” _ Tony greeted coolly.

“How long was the fight before we arrived?” Evelyn asked curiously, watching as Tony and Steve pulled Loki to his feet.

“A few minutes at most.” Natasha replied honestly, smoothly landing the Quinjet and opening the rear loading doors.

Evelyn nodded, a small frown on her face. Something about the fight made her think Loki had given up too easily. She watched as Loki was cuffed and seated in the passenger/cargo hold, taking note of his silent aura. Once the Trickster was secure, Natasha smoothly lifted them into the air, beginning the flight back to the Helicarrier. 

Steve lowered his cowl and pulled Evelyn into a tight hug, being mindful of the baby bump.

“Evy, it’s good to see you.” He said, pulling away and looking down at her, taking in her dark ruby red hair, so different from the color she’d had when he knew her so many years ago. Though he understood the reason for the change, it was yet another painful reminder of what had been lost. Another was her name; he had to constantly remind himself to call her 'Evy' or 'Evelyn' and not 'Stella'. She had even changed her accent, explaining that she had chosen a British one as a tribute to Peggy; it was also among the easier ones for her to adapt to.

“Yes Steve, it has been far too long.” Evelyn said, smiling gently up at him though tears rapidly filled her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked in alarm, seeing the tears that were streaming silently down her porcelain cheeks.

“I just can’t believe I’m finally seeing you again.” Evelyn said, smiling tearfully. “I know it’s only been a few months, but it feels like so long.”

“But why are you crying?” Tony asked in confusion, looking completely panicked at the sight of his sister’s tears.

Steve wasn’t much better, just as panicked and confused as the billionaire.

“Damn these hormones!” Evelyn cried in frustration, wiping her tears away.

Natasha snickered under her breath, finding Tony and Steve’s completely panicked expressions utterly hilarious.

“You carry life in you.” Loki said, eyeing Evelyn with a piercing gaze.

Instantly, Steve tightened his grip around Evelyn’s waist, holding her protectively. Tony angled his body towards Loki at the same time, arm blaster ready in case the Trickster posed a threat to the pregnant woman.

“You know, I could just be very well fed.” Evelyn pointed out dryly, looking at the Norse God of Mischief. She seemed to take no note of the protective stance her brother and her best friend had taken.

“I can sense the life-forces of your babies; they are very strong.” Loki retorted, a small smirk on his face. He didn’t mention that the life-forces seemed almost  _ unusually _ strong for mortal infants and bore a hint of being familiar as well as foreign. “And you, yourself just commented on your hormones.” He didn’t mention the instinctive reaction of the two men beside her, a rather telling indication to her condition.

“That frustrated comment could mean any number of things.” Evelyn said with a raised eyebrow.

“Indeed.” Loki amended, smirking slightly.

“Hold on, did he say ‘life-forces’ and ‘babies’?” The co-pilot asked, looking over his shoulder at the quartet with wide eyes.

“As in plural?!” Steve and Tony shouted in shocked unison.

“I’m carrying twins?!” Evelyn cried in shock, staring at Loki in equal disbelief.

Loki nodded in response, looking highly amused at the reaction.

“I guess that explains why you’re so  _ big _ .” Tony remarked thoughtfully, looking down at the baby bump.

‘WHACK!’

“OW!” Tony cried, rubbing the back of his head as Steve, Natasha and the co-pilot burst out laughing. Loki was snickering under his breath, his green eyes glittering with mirth, “Eves, what was that for?!”

At his comment on her size, Evelyn had reached out and whacked Tony at the back of his head.

Evelyn just glared at him before sitting down on the seat across from Loki, a hand on her baby bump.

“I’m gonna pay for that comment, aren’t I?” Tony asked rhetorically, wincing at the thought of what his sister could do to him.

Evelyn just smiled sweetly up at him and he muttered under his breath, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a way that would at least lessen the amount of trouble he was in. Short of the world ending and his sister becoming completely sidetracked, she would get back at him in such a way that he wouldn’t have imagined and at a time when he least expected it.

Evelyn Stark was incredibly creative and inventive, a fact that had played a part in her becoming one of the most brilliant minds in the country once again.

Snickering under their breaths, Natasha and her co-pilot flew them back westward, the sky around them still dark. Connecting with Fury and the Helicarrier, Natasha’s expression became serious as she informed them of Loki’s capture and their imminent return, expertly multi-tasking between giving her preliminary report and flying the jet.

_ “Is he saying anything?” _ Fury asked.

“He hasn’t said a word after telling us about the babies.” Natasha replied.

Tony, Steve and Evelyn, also losing their amused demeanors and becoming serious, glanced over at Loki. The Trickster was silent, no longer snickering and his expression blank.

_ “Just get him here.” _ Fury ordered.  _ “We’re low on time.” _

_ “How is Evelyn?” _ Deputy Director Maria Hill’s voice filtered through over the comm, her questioned more aimed towards wanting to know if she needed to have a medical team on standby to check Evelyn over when they returned to the Helicarrier.

“She’s all right.” Natasha replied, running a keen eye over the pregnant woman before turning back to the front.

“But it wouldn’t hurt to check just in case.” Evelyn called practically.

_ “Understood.” _ Maria replied.

Natasha ended the transmission and turned her attention back to flying.

“I don’t like it.” Steve said quietly to Tony and Evelyn.

“What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?” Tony asked, never turning his gaze away from Loki.

“I don’t remember it being that easy.” Steve muttered. “This guy packs a wallop.”

“You are pretty spry, for an old man.” Evelyn said, looking at Steve with a cheeky grin and mirth glittering in her emerald green eyes.

Steve rolled his eyes, shooting her a small smile.

“What’s your thing?” Tony asked curiously, looking at the Super Soldier. “Pilates?”

“What?” Steve asked in confusion, turning to look at Tony.

“It’s like calisthenics.” Tony explained. He shrugged unconcernedly. “You might have missed a couple of things doing time as a… Capsicle.”

“Tony.” Evelyn sighed in exasperation.

“Fury didn’t tell me he was calling  _ you _ in.” Steve remarked dryly, looking pointedly at Tony.

“There’s a lot of things Nick doesn’t tell you.” Evelyn said knowingly.

Suddenly, the sky around them, which had been clear except for the clouds, became streaked with bolts of lightning. The accompanying roar of thunder echoed around them.

“Where’s this thunder coming from?” Natasha asked, looking up at the streaked sky.

Loki straightened up from his slight slouch, looking up at the streaked sky with a nervous demeanor.

“What’s the matter?” Steve asked almost mockingly, seeing the Trickster’s expression. “Are you scared of a little lightning?”

“I’m not overly fond of what follows.” Loki replied, eyeing the sky warily.

Evelyn frowned at the response, looking between the Trickster and the streaked sky.

“Why? What follows?” She asked, one hand on her swollen belly and the other ready to access her powers.

Before Loki could respond, something landed on the roof with a loud thud; the force rocked the jet and sent Loki, Evelyn, Natasha and the co-pilot back in their seats while Tony and Steve grabbed hold of the sides to keep from losing their footing.

“Never mind.” Evelyn said in reference to her earlier question.

Tony grabbed his helmet and put it on, the metal linking together seamlessly with a quiet hiss. With purposeful strides, he stalked to the rear doors and pressed the side-panel button to open them.

“Eves, stay with Natasha.” Tony said firmly over his shoulder.

Evelyn nodded in response, focused more on staying upright in her seat against the rocking of the jet.

“What are you doing?” Steve asked, pulling his cowl back over his face.

Before Tony could respond, a large, golden-haired figure landed on the open doors. Dressed in dark armor consisting of a sleeveless black top covered in silver plates, dark blue pants, black boots, red wristbands with silver arm bracers and a billowing red cape pinned to his shoulders designed similar to Loki’s Asgardian armor, the handsome man stalked inside with fury etched across his striking features.

Tony moved to intercept the intruder, only to be thrown back by a mighty swing of the larger man’s hammer. The blow threw him back into Steve, sending both men to the floor in a heap.

“Tony! Steve!” Evelyn cried in alarm, shooting to her feet and facing the intruder. She automatically created a fireball in her hand and threw it at him, only for the man to dodge it by leaning to the side.

The man had long golden hair tied back away from his face and reaching his shoulder blades. A well-muscled giant of a male, he had bright blue eyes that stood out against his lightly tanned skin and a strong jaw teased with a light shadow of a stubble.

At any other time, she would have taken a second look at his striking features, however her concern for her brother and her best friend overrode any such desire. In addition, she was also more concerned with  _ how _ the man was able to land first on top of the Quinjet and then inside while they were still in flight while at the same time dodge a fireball; no one else had been able to do so, at least not while in flight with the loading doors wide open.

And so, with an expression crossed between fury and unrivaled protectiveness for her loved ones on her face, Evelyn formed another fireball as well as an airball and ordered firmly, “Identify yourself!”

“I am Thor, of Asgard.” The man replied, sparing a look at the fierce and strikingly beautiful woman. He ran his gaze over her for a brief second, taking note of the swirling fire and air in her palms and the way she was holding herself, coiled and ready for a fight while protecting her downed companions and at the same time keeping a protective hand in front of her visibly swollen abdomen. “I come for Loki.”

Without another word, Thor reached over to Loki and grabbed the darker-haired Asgardian by the throat, ripping him out of his restraints in the process as though they were made of paper before flying out of the jet. At the same time, Evelyn threw another fireball behind them, the Thunder God managing to avoid it just before it could hit him.

“Damn it, I missed again.” Evelyn muttered, frowning in frustration.

“Now there’s that guy.” Tony groaned, getting to his feet.

“Another Asgardian?” Natasha asked loudly, not having heard Thor speak over the thunder.

“Yes, it’s Thor.” Evelyn replied in confirmation.

“That guy’s a friendly?” Steve asked incredulously, getting to his feet.

“Doesn’t matter.” Tony replied before Evelyn could say anything. “If he frees Loki-”

“Judging by his expression, I’d say that’s unlikely.” Evelyn threw in helpfully.

“Or kills him-” Tony continued.

“I’d say  _ that’s _ more likely.” Evelyn confirmed, nodding.

“The Tesseract is lost.” Tony finished before turning and stalking towards the still open doors.

“Stark, we need a plan of attack!” Steve shouted to the billionaire’s retreating back.

“I have a plan.” Tony growled. “Attack.”

Firing up his thrusters, he flew out of the jet as Evelyn rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

“He gets that from Dad.” The pregnant redhead remarked.

Whether she was speaking of her birth father or of Howard, Steve didn’t know but he shook his head, growling under his breath and grabbed a parachute.

“I’d sit this one out, Cap.” Natasha called, working to keep them in the air.

“I don’t see how I can.” Steve replied, buckling the parachute into place while Evelyn checked to make sure it was secure.

“Thor and Loki are from Norse legend.” Evelyn explained, not stopping her task of checking Steve’s parachute. “They’re basically gods.”

“There’s only one God, Evelyn.” Steve said, grabbing his shield as Evelyn stepped back. “And I’m pretty sure he doesn’t dress like that.”

With those words, he took off at a run and leapt out of the jet.

“Remind me again why I put up with them.” Evelyn said, closing the doors and moving back towards Natasha at the front of the jet.

“Because Tony’s family and you love him.” Natasha replied with a grin.

The byplay was something the two redheads had frequently had while Natasha was undercover at Stark Industries, though tweaked slightly to include Steve. Evelyn had been the only one who knew that Natalie Rushman was in fact Agent Natasha Romanoff of SHIELD and that she had been tasked with monitoring Tony’s Palladium poisoning.

“Yeah.” Evelyn sighed, rubbing her belly.

Now all they could do was wait for Tony and Steve to return, hopefully after convincing Thor to keep Loki alive long enough for them to find out where the Tesseract is.

As though sensing their mother’s thoughts, the twins gave particularly hard kicks to her ribs and abdomen.

“Ow.” Evelyn groaned, rubbing the spots the twins had kicked. At the concerned look shot at her by the two agents, she added, “Rib and abdomen shot.”

“Can you tune us in to the communication signal?” The co-pilot asked, his hands firmly on the steering wheel as he and Natasha worked to keep them in the air.

“Yes, give me a minute.” Evelyn replied, entering a series of sequences in to the control console. “Just about… There.”

She straightened up and less than a second later, the sound of a crash combined with the thrum of Tony’s armor thrusters filled the jet.

_ “Do not touch me again.” _ Thor’s voice growled angrily.

_ “Then don’t take my stuff.”  _ Tony retorted, his voice sounding clear indicating he had raised his visor.

_ “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” _ Thor growled.

_ “Uh… Shakespeare in the Park?” _ Tony asked flippantly.

“He’s gonna antagonize him, isn’t he?” The co-pilot asked.

_ “Doth Mother know you wear-eth her drapes?” _ Tony asked in a horrible imitation of Shakespearean English.

“Does that answer your question?” Evelyn asked, an irritated expression on her face.

_ “This is beyond you, metal man.” _ Thor growled, evidently deciding to do what most people did when faced with Tony’s eccentricity: ignore it.  _ “Loki will face Asgardian justice.” _

_ “He gives up the Cube, he’s all yours.”  _ Tony replied, becoming serious.  _ “Until then,” _ his voice became slightly distorted, indicating the visor was back in place, _ “stay out of the way.” _ There was a momentary pause before Tony added,  _ “Tourist.” _

There was a roar followed by a crash and a groan from Tony. Exchanging concerned looks, Natasha opened their end of the communication signal.

“Tony!” Evelyn cried in alarm. “Are you okay?”

_ “I’m okay.” _ Tony called back reassuringly.

There was the sound of Tony firing his blasters followed by the propulsion systems activating.

Evelyn nibbled at her bottom lip in worry, for once barely acknowledging the twins’ rapid kicking against her stomach.

The sounds of Thor and Tony fighting filled the jet, trading blow for blow. After several tense seconds, Tony’s groan filled the jet.

_ ‘Power at 400% capacity.’ _ JARVIS’ voice filtered in through the communications signal.

_ “How about that?” _ Tony mused out loud.

“Tony, how did that happen?” Evelyn asked in confusion.

_ “Point Break just fired a bolt of thunder at me.” _ Tony replied.

Evelyn’s shocked cry was drowned out by the sound of Tony’s palm blasters being fired and a crash as the recipient, likely Thor, was thrown back.

“I’m going to kill him.” Evelyn growled angrily once the sound of the blasters faded.

Natasha and the co-pilot exchanged looks but wisely decided to stay silent. Whether Evelyn was referring to Tony or Thor was anyone’s guess but neither were all that eager to piss off a pregnant woman; especially not a pregnant woman who could control the elements and just as easily throw them out of the sky as the God of Thunder nearly did.

The very next second, the sounds of the two fighting filled the jet, along with trees falling to the ground, and Evelyn’s anger faded as worry took over once again. Unable to stay still as the fight continued, she began pacing the short length of the jet. All the while, she alternated between nibbling her bottom lip and the pads of her thumb.

Finally, after several minutes, which to Evelyn felt like an age, Steve’s voice filled the air.  _ “Hey!” _ His call was followed by the telltale singing of his shield flying through the air.  _ “That’s enough!”  _ There was a second’s pause before continuing,  _ “Now, I don’t know what you plan on doing here…” _

_ “I’ve come here to put an end to Loki’s schemes.” _ Thor said determinedly before Steve could continue.

“That’s a relief.” Evelyn muttered dryly.

_ “Then prove it.” _ Steve challenged.  _ “Put that hammer down.” _

_ “Uh, yeah… no.”  _ Tony threw in.  _ “Bad call. He loves his ha-” _

Tony was cut off by a whacking sound followed by the sound of him soaring through the air.

Evelyn groaned, getting the instinctive feeling that her brother had irritated the Thunder God.

_ “You want me to put the hammer down?” _ Thor asked angrily, proving Evelyn’s feeling correct.

“That man is going to give me premature grey hair.” Evelyn muttered, groaning exasperatedly.

With access to JARVIS’ monitoring systems, she wasn’t too worried about him being likely hit with the mighty Mjolnir. The suit itself would keep Tony safe for the most part and JARVIS would instantly alert her if his vitals and probability of survival dropped.

A loud bang echoed through the jet as a bright bluish-white light filled the night air for a fraction of a second before fading away.

Evelyn, Natasha and the co-pilot exchanged looks before turning back to look out through the front windshield.

“Tony! Steve! Are you okay?” Evelyn called, managing to keep her voice steady though her worry was clear on her face.

_ “Ow.” _ Tony’s voice filtered in through the comm system with a pained groan.  _ “I’m okay, Eves.” _

“Oh, thank God.” Evelyn breathed in relief. “Steve? Are you okay?”

_ “Yeah, I’m okay.” _ Steve replied before adding,  _ “Are we done here?” _

_ “Indeed.” _ Thor said.

Evelyn, Natasha and the co-pilot exchanged looks, all three relieved that the fight was over. For the moment, at least.

_ Links: _

_ *Evelyn earrings - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AdYKqRk28kFTW1fow3uNHhHwvbCbGZ6CCrTewijnCXFsXiPO872uwjw/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AdYKqRk28kFTW1fow3uNHhHwvbCbGZ6CCrTewijnCXFsXiPO872uwjw/)

_ *Evelyn’s combat dress (navy blue with dark metallic blue accents on the belt) – _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480655078/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879480655078/)

_ *Evelyn’s fingerless arm guards (navy blue with dark metallic blue patterns) – _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478484070/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879478484070/)

_ *Evelyn’s barefoot sandals (navy blue) – _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/538109855472628428/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/538109855472628428/)

_ *Evelyn’s nails - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/479351954088589886/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/479351954088589886/)

_*Evelyn’s hairstyle –_ [_https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879476831356/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879476831356/)


	4. Briefings and Revelations

**Chapter 3: Briefings and Revelations**

As soon as Natasha landed the Quinjet on the Helicarrier, Loki, bound with heavy cuffs, was escorted into an isolated room containing a large cylindrical glass cage. Meanwhile, Evelyn broke away from the group to visit the infirmary where a medic examined her and the babies, being informed that all three of them were safe and healthy. Happy and relieved by the news, she joined Natasha, Thor, Steve and Bruce in the briefing room/ communications hub, all of them settling around the table and watching the CCTV footage as Fury entered the containment room and stepped up to the control console for the containment cage.

_“In case it’s unclear,”_ Fury said, his voice echoing around the room while Loki looked on with an unamused and disinterested expression on his face. _“You try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass,”_ Fury pressed a button on the console, causing the floor beneath the cage to open and reveal the open air beneath them. The wind whipped around the room, blowing through the folds of Fury’s black coat as Loki looked down into the empty blackness below him. _“It’s 30, 000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?”_ Fury didn’t wait for a response as he pressed another button on the console and sealed the hole closed once again. Gesturing to Loki, he said, _“ant,”_ before gesturing to the control console and saying, _“boot.”_

Loki chuckled lightly, once again looking completely unconcerned. _“It’s an impressive cage.”_ He agreed, his chuckles fading though a wide smirk remained on his face. _“Not built, I think, for me.”_

_“Built for something a lot stronger than you.”_ Fury said.

The cage could not only hold the Hulk, it could also contain power-gifted people like Evelyn as well. Evelyn herself had been the test subject before she became pregnant, understanding all too well the need to have a way to contain the beings that wielded such fearsome powers.

_“Oh, I’ve heard.”_ Loki said with a smirk, turning to look directly at the camera mounted on the ceiling of the room. _“A mindless beast. Makes play he’s still a man.”_

“Is he talking about you or me?” Evelyn asked, looking up at Bruce who was standing behind a chair across from her.

As soon as they had stepped off the Quinjet, her combat suit melted away leaving her wearing a pearl grey short sleeved blouse, the sash tied between her breasts and the swell of her baby bump, a pair of off-white trousers and slightly darker off-white 5” high heeled pumps*. Her long hair was swept up into a French twist at the back of her head, a few strands loose and framing her face gently and her nails were now a soft ballet pink color.

“I think he means me.” Bruce said, grimacing lightly.

The sound of Loki’s laughter drew them back to the screens showing the feed from the containment room. _“How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?”_ He asked, his laughter fading into a chuckle.

_“How desperate am I?”_ Fury repeated, stepping closer to the cage. _“You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can’t hope to control. You talk about peace and then you kill because it’s fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.”_

_“Ooh.”_ Loki said, a smirk forming across his face. _“It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what?”_ He laughed lightly. _“A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is.”_

_“Well let me know if ‘real power’ wants a magazine or something.”_ Fury said dismissively, walking away from the cage before leaving the room entirely.

“He really grows on you, doesn’t he?” Bruce remarked, folding his arms over his chest.

“I have this really intense urge to smack him.” Evelyn muttered, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands over her baby bump. “And I don’t think it’s entirely my hormones talking.”

“Loki’s gonna drag this out.” Steve said seriously, bringing the pregnant woman back on track. “So, Thor, what’s his play?”

“He has an army called the Chitauri.” Thor said pensively, standing a short distance away from Evelyn. He had removed his cape and the heavier portions of his armor, his hair also no longer tied back, instead left loose to hang freely around his shoulders. “They are not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.”

“An army… from outer space.” Steve summarized disbelievingly.

“It’s not that far of a leap.” Evelyn remarked, looking at Steve pointedly.

“So, he’s building another portal.” Bruce said thoughtfully, a small frown marring his face. “That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.”

“Selvig?” Thor repeated, looking across the table at the mild mannered scientist in confusion.

“He’s an astrophysicist, working on the Tesseract project.” Evelyn explained.

“He’s a friend.” Thor said softly, his confusion giving way to concern for his friend.

“Loki has him under some kind of spell. Along with one of ours.” Natasha said, folding her arms on the table and looking across at the Thunder God.

“I’m more curious to why Loki let us take him.” Evelyn said, wincing slightly when one of the babies gave a particularly hard kick to her abdomen. “There’s no way he’ll be able to lead his army from here. Nick was right about the cage being able to hold more than Loki; it can hold both me and Bruce, when he’s the Hulk, together.”

“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki.” Bruce commented, though nodding in agreement to Evelyn’s remark about the cage. “That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell crazy on him.”

“Have care how you speak.” Thor warned, turning to face Bruce. “Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother.”

“Honey, we understand that, but he _did_ kill 80 people in two days.” Evelyn said gently, swiveling in her chair to look up at the giant man standing near her.

“He is adopted.” Thor offered sheepishly.

Evelyn reached out and patted him sympathetically on the arm, earning a small smile from the golden haired God.

“I think it’s about the mechanics.” Bruce said thoughtfully. “Iridium. What do they need the Iridium for?”

“It’s a stabilizing agent.” Tony called, walking into the room with Phil. Like Evelyn, the elder Stark scion was also dressed in civilian clothes, consisting of a black suit with a navy blue dress shirt and midnight blue tie. He turned to Phil, lowering his voice slightly as he said, “I’m just saying, pick a weekend. I’ll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive.”

Phil nodded, shooting him a tight smile before looking towards Evelyn and giving her a warmer one as he moved to the side, checking on some of the agents that were huddled in front of their computers.

“It means the portal won’t collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD.” Evelyn added in explanation, shooting Tony a bright smile. “Hey Tony.”

“Hey Eves.” Tony said, bending down to kiss her cheek briefly before straightening up. He looked at Thor, the Thunder God a few feet away from the pregnant redhead, and eyed the giant man with a piercing gaze, noticing the way Evelyn still had a hand on his arm and the way he was subconsciously angled towards her. Pushing his rising suspicions to the side, he patted the taller man lightly on the arm as he passed him, saying flippantly, “No hard feelings, Point Break. You’ve got a mean swing.” Thor looked at him with a raised eyebrow, clearly unsure of how to react to the eccentric genius. Evelyn on the other hand watched him stride around the room unconcernedly, a look of fond exasperation on her face. “Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants.” He stopped in the aisle between two rows of computer consoles, looking at one of the agents. “Ah, raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails.” Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him oddly for the strange and unexpected comment. Seeing the looks he was receiving, he pointed at the agent he had been talking to, proclaiming loudly, “That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did.” Steve exchanged confused looks with Bruce, both men wondering what Tony was up to while the genius himself covered one eye and looked at the computer screens closest to him. “How does Fury even see these?”

“He turns.” Maria said dryly, her arms crossed over her chest and a decidedly unimpressed expression on her face.

“Sounds exhausting.” Tony commented.

“Tony, focus please.” Evelyn prompted gently, far more accustomed to the frequent and rapid jumps her brother’s mind made between thoughts and ideas.

“Right, sorry.” Tony said, lowering his hand and turning to one of the computer consoles, fiddling with the screen. “The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily.”

“The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density.” Evelyn said thoughtfully, a small frown on her face.

“Something to kick-start the Cube.” Tony added, discreetly planting a small bug beneath one of the consoles before turning to face the group.

“I get Evy knowing thermonuclear astrophysics, but when did you become an expert?” Maria asked, scoffing under her breath.

“Last night.” Tony said, grinning cheerfully. “The packet, Selvig’s notes, the extraction theory papers. Are Eves and I the only ones who did the reading?”

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Steve asked, drawing everyone back to the immediate topic at hand.

“He’d have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.” Bruce said, pacing behind his chair.

“Unless Dr. Selvig has figured out a way to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.” Evelyn countered.

“Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.” Bruce remarked, stopping his pacing to look at Evelyn and Tony.

“Finally, someone else who speaks English.” Tony said, grinning at Bruce.

“Is that what just happened?” Steve asked, completely confused.

He wasn’t the only one. Thor was also completely confused while Natasha and Maria weren’t too far behind. The two women understood roughly half of what had been said, though most of it flew straight over their heads. 

“It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner.” Tony said cheerfully, stepping towards the other scientist and shaking his hand. “Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster.”

“…Thanks.” Bruce said slowly, unsure of what to make of the eccentric genius.

“You get used to him.” Evelyn said reassuringly, seeing the disbelieving look on the older scientist’s face. “Eventually.” She amended sheepishly.

“Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube.” Fury said, walking into the room and joining them at the table, standing behind one of the chairs. “I was hoping you and Evy might join him.”

“Sure.” Evelyn chirped cheerfully while Tony nodded in agreement. 

“I’d start with that stick of his.” Steve suggested. “It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.”

“Which I am desperately hoping it is nothing of the sort.” Evelyn muttered, a shiver racing through her at the memories of the events that occurred 70 years earlier.

“I don’t know about that, but it is powered by the Cube.” Fury said before anyone could comment on Evelyn’s remark. “And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”

“Monkeys?” Thor repeated in confusion. “I do not understand.”

“I do!” Steve exclaimed excitedly, turning everyone’s attention to him. Seeing the raised eyebrows he was receiving, his smile faded slightly as he added, “I-I understood that reference.”

“Me, too.” Evelyn said, pushing her unease aside and smiling slightly at her friend. She groaned in pain and winced, leaning forward and rubbing her lower back. “Braxton-Hicks.” She said when she noticed the concerned looks being shot in her direction, letting out a slow breath at the same time. “I’ve been having them all week.”

“You’re only in your 26th week.” Maria pointed out in confusion. “How can you already be having Braxton-Hicks contractions? I thought they started in the third trimester, not the second.”

“They can sometimes start as early as the 25th or 26th week in twin or multiple pregnancies.” Tony said. At his remark, nearly everyone in the room looked at him with raised eyebrows, wondering just how he would know something like that. “What?” He asked defensively. “I learned everything I possibly could when Eves got pregnant!”

“And then he proceeded to summarize all of it to me.” Evelyn chirped, smiling across the table at her brother.

“What are ‘Braxon-Hicks’?” Thor asked, a confused frown on his face at the unfamiliar terminology.

“Brax _ton_ -Hicks.” Evelyn corrected automatically. “They’re basically a tightening of my uterine muscles to aid in the preparation of birth.” She explained. “It’s pretty much helping me get used to the contractions that I’ll feel when I go into actual labor in around three months.”

Thor looked completely baffled. “I had been aware that childbirth is no easy feat, but this is… Wow.” He breathed, shaking his head in amazement.

“Oh, honey, you have no idea.” Evelyn remarked, briefly patting his arm where she could reach from their different positions. “None whatsoever.” 

An agent ran up to the group and stopped next to Fury. “Sir, we might have something.” She said. Everyone looked at her expectantly. “And before you ask, it’s not about the Cube or Loki.” Turning to Evelyn, she said, “It’s about your pregnancy, Dr. Stark and the ongoing case.”

At her words, it was as though all activity stopped as everyone stared at her. It had been six months since Evelyn had gotten pregnant and there had been no headway in the case, not even running the babies’ DNA against nearly every database they could think of to find the father had yielded any results.

“I do not understand.” Thor said, frowning slightly. He glanced down at Evelyn, looking confused as he took in her hopeful expression. “Lady Evelyn, why would there be an investigation regarding your pregnancy?” Before she could respond, the implications of his question hit him and his eyes widened in alarm, concern and worry filling the striking blue orbs. He knelt down by her chair and looked at her, pitching his voice low and soothing as he asked gently, “My Lady, were you violated in any way?”

“Not in the way you’re thinking, I wasn’t raped or taken forcefully.” Evelyn replied, shaking her head and smiling gently at him. She put her tiny hand on his bicep, the bulging muscle nearly dwarfing her hand. “Six months ago, I was kidnapped, drugged and impregnated.” Thor’s eyes widened, horror filling the striking blue orbs and only the small hand on his arm keeping his rising fury at bay. Despite the fury, there was still a glimmer of confusion on his face and she continued, “There is a procedure here on Earth that allows a woman to be surgically impregnated; that is what had happened to me.”

“But for what purpose?” Thor asked, shaking his head in confusion and rising gracefully to his feet. Without realizing it, he stayed next to Evelyn, the smaller woman unconsciously keeping her hand on his arm. “What purpose would there be to forcibly impregnate a woman?”

“Honestly, there are a lot of reasons.” Natasha supplied, leaning forward in her chair and looking at Thor earnestly.

“But none of them apply to Eves.” Tony added, a glimmer of fury in his eyes, only noticeable to those who had been present in the early days of Evelyn’s pregnancy and they had learned what had happened to her.

“What about the babies’ dad?” Steve asked, leaning forward in his chair and frowning slightly. He had been told of what had happened but not the details of the still-ongoing case. “Wouldn’t he be able to shed some light on what had happened?”

“Theoretically, and in most cases, yes.” Maria replied, sighing heavily. “But this time, we have no idea _who_ the babies’ father is. We have ran the DNA through every database we could think of, even against SHIELD personnel, but we came up with no matches.”

“I am having trouble understanding why anyone would commit such depravity.” Thor said, shaking his head. Anger coursed through him at what the sweet lady beside him had suffered through, and he suspected that there was far more to her than just what he had been told and witnessed in the past few hours. “Even the worst of Asgard would never stoop so low as to take an unwilling woman, let alone impregnate her.”

“And that, there, is why Earth is different from Asgard.” Natasha said dryly, not trying to be insulting but merely stating a fact.

“Um, about the DNA, that’s where I might have something.” The agent piped up, once again turning everyone’s gaze to her. Noticing the sudden attention, she swallowed, the sound audible in the silence and she continued, “Like Agent Hill said, we didn’t get any hits running the baby’s, or _babies’_ as it were, DNA against our databases. On a whim, I ran it against the Avengers Initiative panel. Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting anything to come from it, but I didn’t think it would hurt to just try since nothing else had yielded any results.”

“Agent, I don’t mean to be rude, but get to the point.” Evelyn said, cutting the other woman off before she could continue towards a full-blown ramble.

“Right, sorry.” The agent said apologetically. “I got a hit.”

“What?!”

The shocked sound echoed around the vast room, everyone having shouted at roughly the same time.

“Why wasn’t this done before?” Steve asked, frowning.

“Because I’m blood related to Tony, considered to be your best-friend Steve as well as you being on ice for 70 years, had minimal contact with Bruce and Agent Barton, absolutely no contact with Thor and Natasha’s a woman and therefore incapable of getting me pregnant.” Evelyn replied, rubbing her temples to alleviate some of the tension that was building up in her skull.

“What is ‘DNA’?” Thor asked, once more confused at the unfamiliar terminology.

“DNA is the genetic code that is unique to each individual.” Evelyn explained. “There are many aspects, properties and functions of it, but in this case, it can be used to identify the similarities between parent and child, as well as between blood-related siblings and even relatives.”

“I see.” Thor said, nodding in understanding. He could tell that there was far more to the explanation but accepted that it wasn’t the time to ask questions beyond what he needed to understand the situation. He turned to the agent, asking “What is the ‘hit’ you received?”

“The babies’ DNA is a match to yours, Thor.” The agent replied, her expression filled with nervousness.

“What?!”

Where the previous time, no one could say whose voice was the loudest, this time, Thor and Evelyn’s voices were the loudest, Tony’s following close behind while everyone else just gaped in complete shock.

“All though, that would explain why the babies kicks seemed so strong.” Tony said thoughtfully, his rapid mental processes allowing him to move past the shocking revelation much quicker than the others. “It’s because the twins actually _are_ incredibly strong.”

“You had not noticed the uncharacteristic strength of the babies?” Thor asked Evelyn with a frown marring his features.

“I honestly thought it was karma, the Universe’s version of payback for the hell my brother and I put our parents through.” Evelyn replied, shrugging helplessly.

Whether Evelyn had been referring to Howard or Tony when she said ‘brother’ was anyone's guess, though Steve privately thought she had been referring to both.

“But how did whoever impregnate Evy get the required DNA samples in the first place?” Bruce asked. “I get having Agent Barton’s on file considering he’s an agent, even Steve’s and mine to an extent since we were both affiliated with the military at some point, but how did they get Thor’s?”

“When the Initiative was being planned, we had DNA samples gathered from all the potential candidates.” Fury explained.

“That is all well, but how did you attain samples of my DNA?” Thor asked, becoming more comfortable with the unfamiliar terms.

“They had been taken in the containment facility after you broke in.” Phil said, speaking up for the first time. “When you tried to get your hammer but failed.”

Thor’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief, as did Steve’s. Tony looked only mildly surprised while Natasha didn’t express any of it, far too used to SHIELD’s policies, procedures and practices. Evelyn as well, wasn’t entirely surprised at the news, having seen how SHIELD had changed in the past few decades since they had first established the organization.

“But according to the file about that incident, Thor had been _mortal_ at the time.” Evelyn pointed out. “Based on that, shouldn’t the babies be mortal, with a little extra if they gain my powers? Not as strong as Asgardian babies.”

“Lady Evelyn is correct.” Thor said, nodding pensively. “On both accounts.” He looked at Phil, the only SHIELD agent present that he had previously encountered. “Unless you had taken more samples after I regained my powers?”

“No, not after you regained your powers.” Phil said, shaking his head. “Frankly, there hadn’t even been a chance since you had returned to Asgard shortly after.”

“What I don’t get is _how_ I can be carrying his babies when the samples had been blood, tissue and skin.” Evelyn wondered aloud. She glanced at Phil, adding, “I’m assuming those were the samples that were taken?”

“Yeah.” Phil replied, nodding. “We can’t exactly take sperm samples without the person realizing.”

“Unless they're blackout drunk.” Tony muttered, getting an agreeing nod from Phil.

“Back to my earlier question. If those were the samples taken, then _how_ am I pregnant?” Evelyn asked, looking confused.

At the question, the others looked confused as well. Clearly they hadn’t thought of that.

“There is a little known and very rare method of taking the needed reproductive component from blood and skin samples to create a viable sperm sample.” Bruce explained, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes before putting them back on. “However, in the few trials that had been done, the resulting pregnancies were incredibly high-risk with a very low chance of survival for mother or child, let alone both.”

“Oh, God.” Evelyn breathed, panic and worry clear on her face as she wrapped her hands over her baby bump.

Thor and Tony looked equally worried; the former because of the knowledge of what an Asgardian pregnancy could do to a mortal’s body and the latter because he knew just how risky multiple pregnancies were under the best circumstances – and the circumstances they were in at the moment were most assuredly _not_ the best.

“Since there hadn’t been any sign of risk in the past 6 months, it is unlikely that there will be any during the rest of your pregnancy.” The agent said, quickly jumping in to reassure the worried pregnant woman. “At least, aside from the normal risks in multiple pregnancies.”

“Unfortunately, there may still be a risk.” Thor said pensively, a worried look on his face.

“What do you mean, Point Break?” Tony asked, a dangerous look in his eyes at the possible risk to his sister.

“What I mean to say is that the babies are at least part-Asgardian.” Thor said, aiming his words more at Evelyn than Tony but pitching his voice so that they could all hear him. “My Lady, no matter how powerful you are, or how long lived, you aren’t an Asgardian and it may pose a danger to you and the babies as they grow within you.”

“So what can we do?” Evelyn asked, pushing her fear aside to focus on the problem. As terrified as she was for her children, she was a scientist and had long since learned how to push aside her personal feelings to focus on the problem at hand, even if the problem itself was _her_ . “How can I keep the babies, _our_ babies, safe?”

“I ask that you return with me to Asgard once we have put a stop to Loki’s plans.” Thor said, now focused almost entirely on Evelyn. He knelt down in front of her and looked into her eyes, seeing the fear and concern for her children as well as the willingness to do whatever was needed to keep them safe. “It is my belief that under the care of Lady Eir and her team of healers, we may be able to reduce the potential risks and keep all three of you safe and healthy.”

Evelyn was silent, pondering what she had been told. She knew that Earth, no matter the advances in medicine, just wasn’t equipped to deal with her situation. But could she leave Tony, the young man whom she had helped raise and still saw as her own child despite him now looking older than her, for an unknown amount of time? Even if it was for the sake of her babies, his cousins-turned-nieces or nephews?

“Eves, go for it.”

Tony’s voice, soft and filled with fear at the unknown, penetrated through her thoughts and she turned to him.

“Tony?” She asked softly, seeing the same fear on his face that had been in his voice.

Evelyn could see that he was just as terrified at the idea of her leaving as she was, but he also knew that it was her best chance at keeping the babies safe.

“As terrified as I am of the prospect of you going somewhere where I can’t follow or reach you, I’m man enough to admit that there are some things that are beyond my capabilities.” Tony said, not at all ashamed or embarrassed at his admission in front of everyone. “I’m not going to risk your life or the twins’ lives because of my own pride and ego, or my reluctance to let you go.”

When Tony finished speaking, Evelyn turned her attention to Thor, the one person whom no one would blame if he walked away without a second glance. But he wasn’t. He was thinking of her and of the twins, of their safety, all the while knowing that there would be no turning back if she accepted his offer. 

Playing Tony’s words over in her mind and seeing the willingness and determination on Thor’s face, she made her decision.

“Okay.” Evelyn said finally, looking at Thor. “I’ll go with you to Asgard once we’ve stopped Loki.”

“Very well.” Thor said, nodding and gracefully rising to his feet. He gently squeezed Evelyn’s hands before pulling away, stepping to the side.

“Now that that’s been sorted, shall we play, Doctor, Eves?” Tony asked, looking between Bruce and Evelyn and bringing everyone back on track; his expression and tone were almost cheerful, though it was quite obvious that he was desperately trying to focus on something other than the pending departure of his sister.

“Lets.” Evelyn said with a bright smile as she moved to stand up, taking her two tries before she finally managed to get to her feet.

Seeing her struggle, Thor looked ready to help her when Maria caught his eye and shook her head silently to keep him from moving. He frowned, not understanding but stayed where he was, intending to ask Maria why she had stopped him when he had the chance.

“This way, sir, ma’am.” Bruce said, smiling softly and holding his hand out to gesture at the open corridor that was behind them once Evelyn was on her feet.

“Not a word, Anthony.” She growled at her brother, seeing him open his mouth as they followed Bruce out of the room.

“I wasn’t going to say anything!” Tony said, looking completely indignant.

“Sure you weren’t.” Evelyn said dryly.

Thor moved around the table and stepped up to Maria, looking down at her. “Why did you stop me from aiding Lady Evelyn?” He asked softly, not wanting to draw attention to them.

Maria turned slightly and looked up at him, seeing genuine confusion on his face. She had suspected that the Thunder God had wanted to help Evelyn because that's how he had been raised – helping someone who was struggling, no matter if they were a man or woman – and his expression confirmed her thoughts. “Because, while she normally wouldn’t mind the help, Evy is usually someone who would prefer to _ask_ for help if and when she needed it.” Maria explained softly. “It is entirely likely that she would have accepted your help if you had offered without her asking, but it is also likely that it would have upset her; she would think you see her as weak because of her inability to stand on her own.”

“But she is not weak.” Thor argued, more confused than before. “She carries life within her, _two_ lives; it is not to be mocked or belittled.”

“You’re right.” Maria agreed. “But her emotions are pretty much all over the place, not at all helped by our current situation or what we just learned about the babies.” She sighed and looked up at him. “Evy is usually a very calm person; her current limitations don’t bother her because she knows _why_ she is limited: her pregnancy.”

“Just give her some time to come to terms with what we just learned.” Steve advised, getting to his feet. “She just needs to process it and once she does, she won’t mind the offers of help.”

“So long as you don’t come off as making her feel incapable of doing things on her own.” Phil said, a light shudder racking through his body at the memory of the pregnant woman’s fury, _before_ she had become pregnant. He had no doubt that the woman would be a million times more terrifying with her pregnancy hormones added to the mix.

“I see.” Thor said softly, his gaze inadvertently wandering to the doorway Evelyn had gone through with Bruce and Tony.

He didn’t notice Phil, Natasha, Maria, Steve and Fury exchange knowing looks and bite back their smirks.

The Norse God of Thunder was smitten, absolutely smitten. And he had no clue.

~*~

In the lab, Evelyn, Tony and Bruce worked on using Loki’s scepter to locate the Tesseract, the pregnant woman seated on a padded-back chair while the two men remained standing.

“The Gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig’s reports of the Tesseract.” Bruce said, running the scanner over the scepter and looking at the screen.

Evelyn turned the monitor towards her and looked at the screen, seeing the readouts that were displayed. “Unfortunately, it would take weeks to process all the data.” She said, her brow furrowed slightly as she chewed on the edge of a pen. She glanced at Tony, who was standing in front of another table and working at a portable screen. “Unless you have an idea on how to make it go faster, Tony.”

“If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around 600 teraflops.” Tony said, not looking away from the screen he was working at.

“And all I packed was a toothbrush.” Bruce said, laughing dryly.

“Oh, I remember those days.” Evelyn said with a sigh, a small laugh escaping her lips; when she had been working with the Commandos and Steve during the war, she used to pack light just like they did, often only carrying toiletries and a change of clothes. “You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime.”

“Yeah.” Tony agreed, stepping away from the table he was working at and crossing the lab towards Bruce. “Top ten floors, all R&D.” He discreetly picked up a small rod from a nearby desk and stepped up beside the bespectacled scientist. “You’d love it. It’s Candy Land.”

“Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I… kind of broke… Harlem.” Bruce said quietly, his tone filled with guilt and depreciation.

Evelyn frowned, filled with sorrow and sympathy for the gentle man who had no control over his other self.

“Well, I promise a stress-free environment.” Tony said before Evelyn could say anything. “No tension, no surprises.”

The moment the last syllable fell from his lips, he poked Bruce in the side with the rod, releasing a mild electrical charge that shocked the bespectacled man.

“Ow!” Bruce cried, jumping slightly from the charge and looking at Tony in surprise and stunned disbelief.

“Tony!” Evelyn said exasperatedly, seeing her brother peer closely at Bruce as though looking for any sign of the Hulk emerging.

“Hey!” Steve called irritatedly from down the hall, changing his course and heading towards the lab.

“Nothing?” Tony asked curiously, ignoring the Captain’s cry.

Evelyn sighed exasperatedly at Tony’s actions. She knew he was doing: he wanted to know just how safe she was in Bruce’s presence and his way of finding out was to test the man’s limits. See how far the man could be pushed before he lost control and caused the Hulk to emerge.

“Are you nuts?” Steve asked, stalking into the lab and stepping up beside Evelyn, standing protectively by her while glaring at Tony fiercely.

“The jury’s still out on that.” Evelyn said, rolling her eyes and not looking away from her task.

“Yup.” Tony agreed absently, not looking away from Bruce. “You really have got a lid on it, haven’t you? What’s your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?”

“Is everything a joke to you?” Steve demanded.

Evidently, Steve hadn’t realized the reason behind Tony’s actions, so different from how Howard used to be when it came to protecting Evelyn. Where Howard had been perfectly content with letting her protect herself (panicking all the while), Tony would assess the threats first before making a decision; while Howard had certainly had a difficult life, it was nowhere near as pain and sorrow-filled as Tony’s had been and so the younger Stark male was far more protective of her than his father had been.

“Funny things are.” Tony quipped, turning to the Super Soldier.

“Threatening everyone’s safety on this ship, Evelyn and the babies’ safety, isn’t funny.” Steve said, struggling to reign his anger and frustration in.

Tony clenched his jaw at the implication that he would jeopardize Evelyn’s safety. He knew the Captain was only reacting to what he was seeing, but it didn’t take away the fact that all Tony had done ever since they revealed Evelyn to the world as his sister was protect her, even if it hadn’t always turned out to be the way he had wanted. He built more dangerous and powerful weapons in an effort to protect her, he built the Iron Man suit in the cave in Afghanistan so he could protect her, he _became_ Iron Man to protect her.

It took everything Tony had to remind himself that Steve didn’t know any of that. All he knew was what was in the SHIELD dossier and what he had seen with his own eyes - a playboy with daddy issues who didn’t play well with others while occasionally being protective of his sister.

“No offence, Doc.” Steve added, glancing at Bruce and taking in the other man’s lowered eyes and hunched shoulders.

“It-It’s all right.” Bruce said, smiling reassuringly. “I wouldn’t have come aboard if I couldn’t handle pointy things.”

“You’re tiptoeing, big man.” Tony said flippantly, pointing at Steve briefly with the electrical prod. “You need to strut.”

“You need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark.” Steve said, trying to connect the man he was seeing in front of him as Howard’s son.

Breathing slowly through another wave of Braxton-Hicks contractions, Evelyn watched the interaction between two of the men she loved dearly and decided not to get between them unless necessary. She wasn’t their mother, and though she did sometimes still act like Tony’s aunt/ mother, the fact remained that both men were adults and needed to establish their relationship without interference. With that decided, she leaned back in her chair and watched Steve and Tony bicker.

“You think I’m not?” Tony challenged, looking between Steve, Evelyn and Bruce. “Why did Fury call us in? Why now? Why not before? What isn’t he telling us?”

“You can’t solve the equation unless you have all the variables.” Evelyn commented, paraphrasing something her former physics professor had once told her, back when she had been Estelle.

“Exactly.” Tony said, nodding in her direction and picking up a packet of blueberries.

“You think Fury’s hiding something?” Steve asked with a frown, looking between Tony and Evelyn.

“Steve, Nick is a spy.” Evelyn said softly, her expression clearly torn between understanding at Fury’s actions and frustration at the possibility of not being told something that could have a major impact on the results of their case or even pose a possible threat to her babies. “ _Of_ _course_ he's hiding something.”

Though Evelyn knew that Fury would never purposefully put any of his agents in harm’s way, not without them knowing exactly what the risks were, she still carried a seed of worry for the safety of her babies. The twins’ safety was her main concern, as was Tony’s.

“He’s not just _a_ spy.” Tony said, opening the packet and popping a blueberry in his mouth. “He’s _the_ spy. Even his secrets have secrets.” He gestured wildly at Bruce, adding, “It’s bugging him too, isn’t it?”

“Uh…” Bruce said, looking between Tony and Steve uncertainly before turning back to the screen and avoiding their gaze. “I just want to finish my work here, and…”

“Doctor?” Steve asked pointedly, not accepting the vague response.

Bruce sighed and glanced at Tony before looking at Steve, removing his glasses as he said, “‘A warm light for all mankind.’ Loki’s jab at Fury about the Cube.”

“I heard it.” Steve said, nodding.

“Well, I think that was meant for the two of you.” Bruce said, pointing at the Stark siblings. Evelyn frowned and leaned forward in her chair as much as she could, concern and protectiveness for her nephew-turned-brother coursing through her while Tony’s expression hardened minutely as well. “Even if Barton didn’t tell Loki about the tower, it’s still all over the news.”

“The Stark Tower?” Steve asked, his eyebrows raised incredulously. “That big, ugly…” Tony and Evelyn looked at the Captain, each with an eyebrow raised in unison at the description of their home. “Building in New York?” Steve continued, opting to plow on ahead rather than backtrack.

“It’s powered by an arc-reactor.” Bruce said. “A self-sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what? A year?”

“Yeah.” Evelyn replied, nodding. “But it’s only a prototype. It’s the first actual field test and we’re still working out the kinks.”

“Eves and I are kinda the only name in clean energy right now.” Tony added ‘helpfully’ to Steve. “That’s what he’s getting at.”

“So, why didn’t SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project?” Bruce asked Steve challengingly. “I get Evelyn not being asked because of the circumstances around her pregnancy and the stress she’s under, but what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?”

“Tony should probably look into that once his decryption program finishes breaking into SHIELD’s secure files.” Evelyn said sweetly, looking at Tony pointedly with a raised eyebrow.

“How did you-?” Tony started, looking surprised momentarily before shaking his head and shrugging. “You know what, I really don’t want to know how you can _still_ read me like a book. It’s getting really annoying not being able to get away with anything with you and Pepper.”

“Sweetheart, it’s our job.” Evelyn replied, laughing lightly and shaking her head at the putout expression Tony had on his face.

Tony blew a raspberry at her before pulling out his Starkphone and walking around the table, looking at the handheld screen.

“I’m sorry Evy, did you just say-?” Steve asked, looking at Evelyn stunned at the blatant display of misconduct.

“JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge.” Tony confirmed, turning to look at Steve and pocketing the phone at the same time. “In a few hours, I’ll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide.” He held out the packet of blueberries to the Captain, asking, “Blueberry?”

“And yet, you’re confused about why they didn’t want you around.” Steve said snidely, ignoring the offered fruit.

“Steve!” Evelyn exclaimed, stunned at her friend’s words.

“An intelligence organization that fears intelligence?” Tony asked challengingly. “Historically, not awesome.”

“I think Loki’s trying to wind us up.” Steve said, unwilling to believe that his commander could have less than honorable intentions. “This is a man who means to start a war and if we don’t stay focused, he’ll succeed.” He looked between Tony, Evelyn and Bruce. “We have orders. We should follow them.”

“Following’s not really my style.” Tony said flippantly, putting a handful of blueberries into his mouth. 

“And you’re all about style, aren’t you?” Steve asked, a glimmer of annoyance flickering in his light blue eyes.

“Of the people in this room, which one is A, wearing a spangly outfit, and B, not of use?” Tony asked flippantly, eyeing Steve’s clothes pointedly.

“Steve, tell me honestly that you don’t think there’s something strange about all of this.” Evelyn said gently, drawing the Captain’s attention to her. 

Steve looked at her for a long moment, taking in the large eyes and honest expression on her face. “Just find the Cube.” He said finally after several seconds before turning on his heel and stalking out of the lab.

“ _That’s_ the guy you and Dad never shut up about?” Tony asked Evelyn incredulously, gesturing towards the door that closed automatically behind Steve.

“Tony, everything Steve knew was 70 years ago.” Evelyn replied, turning back to the screen in front of her. “For him, it was like closing his eyes in 1945 and opening them in 2011. It’s been a difficult transition for him.”

“I’m wondering if they shouldn’t have just kept him on ice.” Tony muttered.

“Anthony!” Evelyn snapped, glaring at him with tears in her eyes, the pain and sorrow of the past 70 years obvious on her face.

“I’m sorry, Eves.” Tony said softly, looking at her guiltily. Seeing her expression, he was painfully reminded of all the nights she used to wake up from nightmares, screaming for those she had lost – Steve, the Commandos and even her fiancé.

“Tony, I know how hard it’s been for you, but please remember that the man you’re insulting is the only reason I’m even alive right now. There are so many times that I would have died if he hadn’t saved my life and brought me home.” Evelyn said softly, a few tears escaping her lashes and trailing down her cheeks.

“I remember.” Tony said softly, stepping towards her and kneeling down in front of her chair. He reached up and wiped away the tears that had fallen, his touch so gentle as though she were made of spun glass. “I’m sorry.”

Evelyn nodded in acceptance and leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead before leaning back. Tony squeezed her hands gently and rose to his feet gracefully, turning back to the screen he was previously working at.

Bruce, who had been silent while the siblings spoke, frowned slightly, going over what they had said. A lot of it didn’t add up to what he knew about the younger Stark heiress, granted most of his knowledge had come from the media. “What did you mean that Steve saved your life?” Bruce asked curiously.

Tony and Evelyn jumped slightly and whipped around to stare at him. Evidently, both had forgotten that he had been there and had been able to hear their entire conversation.

“Um….” Tony swallowed, at a loss for words for the first time in a very long time. He looked at Evelyn, unsure of how to proceed.

“It’s a secret that is known only to the Stark family and a few select others.” Evelyn said after several seconds, rubbing her forehead tiredly with one hand while rubbing her belly with the other. She looked up at Bruce, her emerald gaze piercing him right down to his soul. “I am not Tony’s sister, I am his aunt.”

“But… the only aunt Tony has is…” Bruce started, a frown on his face as he put the pieces together. “You’re Estelle Stark! Howard Stark’s twin sister. But how?”

“70 years ago, I was the first person Dr. Erskine gave the Super Serum to.” Evelyn began, sighing softly. “But because of a combination of circumstances, such as my gender, my powers and my being a scientist, Dr. Erskine decided to keep the success a secret and agreed to test the serum on a soldier. After Dr. Erskine was killed, only Howard, Steve and I knew that I had received the Serum and that it had been a success. We decided to keep it that way, only telling my best friend, Peggy Carter. As far as the public was concerned, my powers were a blessing from God in a time of war and that was what we left it at.”

“And now?” Bruce asked.

“Honestly, no one’s really asked where my powers come from and those that did ask, we were able to able to get away with saying that we have no idea.” Evelyn replied.

“Which is actually kinda true.” Tony pipped up helpfully. “We really have no idea where Eves’ powers came from. We know that her lack of aging comes from the combination of the Serum and her powers, but that’s just about it.”

“And as far as anyone is concerned, my powers had activated from the stress of the attack and being taken captive while we had been in Afghanistan.” Evelyn said, shrugging lightly.

Bruce nodded in understanding. He looked at Evelyn, seeing the flicker of worry at what his next actions were going to be regarding the information he had just been given. He could also see the fear in her eyes, and in Tony’s eyes, and made a decision.

“Until you decide to reveal this to others, I will keep your secret.” Bruce said determinedly, moving towards Evelyn and stopping in front of her. He knelt down in front of her and looked into her eyes, seeing the bright emerald orbs swimming with unshed tears while she had her arms wrapped around her belly protectively. “I know what it’s like to be hunted for something you have no control over and it is not something I would wish on anyone. I swear, I will never tell anyone unless you allow it.”

“Thank you.” Evelyn said shakily, her emotions getting the best of her as tears streamed down her face. She reached out and wrapped her arms around him as best she could, Bruce wrapping his own around her in reassurance.

“Thank you.” Tony mouthed to Bruce, tears in his own eyes as relief flooded through him, knowing that Evelyn would be safe, or as safe as possible considering their current situation.

Bruce smiled in response as he pulled back from Evelyn, gently wiping her tears away.

“These damn hormones!” Evelyn cried, sniffing tearfully as another wave of tears streamed down her face.

“Here, have some blueberries.” Tony said, holding the packet of his favorite fruit out to her. “They’ll make you feel better.”

“Thanks.” Evelyn said, sniffling as she accepted the fruit and popped one in her mouth.

Bruce smiled slightly and stepped away, going back to his screen and returning to work. Tony, seeing that Evelyn was okay, returned to the task at hand as well, Evelyn following suit a few minutes later.

“You know, Steve’s not wrong about Loki.” Bruce said after a few minutes of working in silence. “He does have the jump on us.”

“What he’s got is an Acme dynamite kit.” Tony said dryly, stepping away from his screen and crossing the lab. “It’s going to blow up in his face. And, I’m gonna be there when it does.”

“Me, too.” Evelyn chirped.

“Yeah, I’ll read all about it.” Bruce said, smiling slightly.

“Uh-huh.” Tony said dryly, moving to the portable screen and pressing several buttons, looking at the readouts that appeared. “Or, you’ll be suiting up with the rest of us.”

Bruce chuckled sardonically. “You see, I don’t get a suit of armor.” He said, not looking away from the screen he was working at. “I’m exposed, like a nerve. It’s a nightmare.”

“You know, I’ve got a cluster of shrapnel trying every second to crawl its way into my heart. This stops it.” Tony said, patting the arc-reactor in his chest that was hidden by his shirt. He turned away from the screen and moved towards Bruce, Evelyn getting to her feet and joining the two of them. “This little circle of light, it’s part of me now. It’s not just armor, it’s a terrible privilege.”

“But you can control it.” Bruce refuted.

“Because I learned _how_.” Tony said.

“It’s different.” Bruce said, shaking his head.

“Hey, Eves and I read all about your accident.” Tony said, clearing the screen of the readouts so Bruce could pay attention to him. “That much gamma exposure should have killed you.”

“So you’re saying that the Hulk… the Other Guy… saved my life?” Bruce asked, chuckling depreciatively. “That’s nice. That’s a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?”

“Bruce, you think the Hulk is a curse, but you want to know what the real curse is?” Evelyn asked before Tony could reply, finally fed up with his self-hate. Without waiting for a response, she continued, an expression of quiet anguish on her face. “Try watching your twin, the one person that is supposed to age _with_ you end up aging without you, growing older without you. You watch someone whom you had seen as a newborn infant, whom you had _delivered_ eventually start to look older than you.” She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “In the last 70 years, I have barely aged a year while I watched by brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew and countless others age around me with the passing of time. And what’s worse is that there is a chance that I might have to watch my children age and eventually die, along with their children, even though they are half-Asgardian. _That_ is a curse – watching the world and your loved ones grow while you remain the same in an ever changing and shifting world.”

By the time she finished speaking, her tears had stopped falling, having no more left to shed. Shooting one last anguish-filled glance at Bruce, she turned and walked out of the lab, gathering the air currents around her feet and taking flight down the corridor, leaving the search for the Cube to Tony and Bruce.

As much as she wanted to continue with the task assigned to her, she knew she needed to clear her head first, lest she risk the possibility of making mistakes. Mistakes that could cost people their lives.

_Links:_

_*Evelyn civilian outfit on the Helicarrier (sash tied between her breasts and baby bump)_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879481602660/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879481602660/)


	5. More Revelations, Attacks and Getting Scattered

**Chapter 4: More Revelations, Attacks and Getting Scattered**

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2012_

Evelyn flew through the corridors, making sure to remain near the ceiling so that the agents below weren’t disturbed. For the most part, no one really gave the sight of the flying pregnant woman much more than a cursory glance, far too used to the sight in the months since she had learned of her pregnancy, in addition to Agent Barton’s tendency to travel through the air vents rather than the corridors whenever the mood struck him.

Eventually, she turned around and made her way back to the lab, her head clear enough once again that she could focus on her task. Reaching the lab, she landed lightly on her feet and entered, finding Tony and Bruce working at the various screens. Both men looked up when the door opened, Tony smiling when he saw her.

“Hey, feel better?” Tony asked, walking around the table and moving up to her, drawing her into a warm hug.

“Yeah, I do.” Evelyn replied. She turned to Bruce, seeing the mild-mannered scientist keep his distance and watch her with an unreadable expression on his face. “Bruce, I’m sorry for how I blew up at you earlier. It wasn’t right.”

“You had every right to.” Bruce said, shaking his head and waving her apology away. “I may still believe that the Other Guy is a curse, but you were right when you said that what I’m going through isn’t as bad as watching your loved ones grow and die with the passing of time.” He stepped around the table and moved towards her, stopping a few feet away. “How about we agree to disagree?”

“I can live with that.” Evelyn said, a small smile on her face.

“Are you going to hug and make up?” Tony asked, effectively breaking the comfortable mood that Bruce and Evelyn had found themselves in.

Evelyn let out a breath and reached up, whacking Tony upside the head and earning a loud ‘OW!’ from the man. At his put out expression, she only raised her eyebrow in silent challenge, daring him to argue with her.

Tony pouted and walked back to the table, muttering under his breath about psychotic aunts turned sisters that scared the crap out of him. Evelyn, hearing his mutterings giggled lightly, the musical sound setting Bruce off as he chuckled, the two returning to work once more.

Eventually, Tony stopped his muttering and the three scientists worked in unison, a comfortable silence falling over the lab, broken only when one asked a question or made a comment.

The peaceful atmosphere was broken quite suddenly when Fury strode into the lab nearly half-an-hour later, his gait long and purposeful.

“What are you doing Mr. Stark?” The Director demanded to know, not pausing to exchange pleasantries with the scientists.

“Uh, kind of been wondering the same about you.” Tony replied flippantly.

“You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract.” Fury said, only his many years as a spy keeping him from glaring at the billionaire.

“And we are, Nick.” Evelyn said calmly, swiveling her chair around and facing the Director. She winced when the twins gave her abdomen a particularly hard kick before clenching her teeth as a Braxton-Hicks contraction rippled through her.

“The model’s locked and we’re sweeping through the signature now.” Bruce explained, leaning back against the counter and looking completely relaxed. “When we get a hit, we’ll have a location within half a mile.”

He gestured to the portable screen behind Fury and the Director turned to look at it before looking back at the scientists.

“Yeah, then you get your Cube back.” Tony remarked. “No muss, no fuss.”

The screen next to Tony chimed with incoming alerts and he glanced at it, Evelyn looking at it as well.

“Tell me, Nicholas, what’s ‘Phase 2’?” Evelyn asked, her tone seemingly curious but those that knew her could hear the undercurrent of warning and anger.

Before Fury could respond, or even _try_ to come up with an answer, Steve walked in with a gun in hand. The gun wasn’t like any model currently in production, clearly an advanced piece of technology meant only for SHIELD use. The Captain put the weapon on the table, a loud clattering sound echoing around the lab. “Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the Cube to make weapons.” He said crisply before glancing at Tony and adding, somewhat sheepishly, “Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me.”

“Rogers, Evy, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract.” Fury said walking towards Steve and gesturing to the gun. “This does not mean that we’re making-”

“I’m sorry, Nick.” Tony said loudly, cutting the Director off and drawing the man’s attention. He turned the screen around to show Nick, revealing the blueprints of missile-like weapons that were clearly powered by the Tesseract. “What were you lying?”

“I was wrong, Director.” Steve said coldly as Natasha and Thor entered the lab. “The world hasn’t changed a bit.”

“No, it hasn’t.” Evelyn agreed, her voice uncharacteristically cold as she gazed up at Fury with similarly cold emerald green eyes.

The force and fury behind her cold gaze wasn’t diminished at all by the fact that she was still seated while the rest were standing in various places around the lab.

Thor glanced at her, seeing the combined fire and ice in her eyes, determination and protectiveness swirling in their vast emerald depths. Absently, he thought back to a few hours earlier when he had learned of her pregnancy and that the babies were in fact his, seeing her hold her head high and accept that her life would never be the same with a grace and dignity that was rarely found in Mankind. He thought about Jane and wondered how his dearest friend would react to the news of the pregnancy and his decision to aid Evelyn, to take her to Asgard with him. As much as he tried to avoid thinking about it, he had realized that Jane had begun to develop feelings for him during his brief stay with her the previous year and if he were to be honest with himself, he could easily see himself falling in love with her as well, if he had remained mortal. Despite getting close to the woman, he had held himself back; he later realized that he knew on some level that he would return to Asgard, be granted his powers once more upon being deemed worthy, and would have to leave the feisty mortal behind.

Thor didn’t know what would happen when they return to Asgard, how the pregnancy would progress or even what Evelyn would decide to do once the babies were born. But he hoped that she would grant him the opportunity to know his children, to raise them by her side if only as friends.

“Did you know about this?” Bruce asked Natasha, gesturing to the screen and drawing Thor out of his thoughts.

“You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?” Natasha asked instead of replying to Bruce’s question.

“I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed.” Bruce retorted, chuckling dryly.

“Loki’s manipulating you.” Natasha said, taking a few steps towards Bruce, her entire body poised and ready in case she had to fight.

“And you’ve been doing what, exactly?” Bruce asked sarcastically.

“You didn’t come here because I bat my eyelashes at you.” Natasha remarked.

“Yes, and I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy.” Bruce snapped, irritatedly.

“What I’d like to know is why SHIELD thought it would be a good idea to make weapons of mass destruction powered by the Tesseract.” Evelyn said, cutting into Bruce and Natasha’s argument.

“Because of him.” Fury said, pointing at Thor.

“Me?” Thor repeating in surprise.

“Him?” Evelyn and Tony asked in unison, matching expressions of disbelief on their faces.

“Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town.” Fury explained, sighing heavily. “We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, _hilariously_ , outgunned.”

“My people want nothing but peace with your planet.” Thor argued, still stunned at the accusation that had been leveled at him.

“But you’re not the only people out there, are you?” Fury asked in response. “And you’re not the only threat.”

“Nick, I understand where you’re coming from, I truly do, but building weapons isn’t the answer.” Evelyn said, struggling to keep herself from remembering the horrors of the past 70 years, the wars that had raged in different parts of the world. “Every time someone thought that way, it had been a prelude to war, war that just wasn’t worth the casualty and nightmare that followed. Don’t forget, I may have only fought in World War 2, but I was there during the Cold War, the Gulf War and all the others that were raged in the past 70 years.”

“Evelyn, the world is filling up with people who can’t be matched, that can’t be controlled.” Fury said, trying to justify his actions to the one person aside from the World Security Council who could hold him accountable by right of being his superior as the last able-minded Co-Founder of SHIELD. Even though Peggy was still alive as the only other Co-Founder, her Alzheimer’s prevented her from even remembering SHIELD, let alone being able to hold Nick accountable to his actions.

“Like you controlled the Cube?” Steve challenged.

“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies.” Thor said, effectively telling Fury that the blame wasn’t only at his feet but at the Director’s as well. “It is a signal to all the Realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war.”

“A higher form?” Evelyn repeated in alarm, her eyes wide.

“You forced our hand.” Fury said defensively. “We had to come up with something.”

“A nuclear deterrent.” Tony said dryly. “Because that always calms everything right down.”

“Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark.” Fury snapped, whipping around to glare at the billionaire.

“I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep-” Steve began dryly.

“Steve!” Evelyn exclaimed, cutting him off and staring at her friend in shock at what he had begun to say.

“Wait, wait, hold on. How is this now about me?” Tony asked, drawing the Super Soldier’s attention.

“I’m sorry, isn’t everything?” Steve asked snidely.

“I thought humans were more evolved than this.” Thor remarked, watching the two men bicker.

“Apparently not.” Evelyn muttered under her breath, watching Steve and Tony argue with a decidedly unimpressed look on her face.

Thor, standing next to her, was the only one who heard her comment and bit back a snort especially when he saw her expression.

“Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?” Fury asked Thor, rounding on the Thunder God and glaring furiously at the larger man.

“You treat your champions with such mistrust.” Thor retorted, glaring at the Director.

“Are you boys really that naïve?” Natasha asked incredulously. “SHIELD monitors potential threats.”

“Captain America and Evy are on a threat watch?” Bruce asked incredulously, crossing his arms over his chest.

“We all are.” Natasha replied.

“Wait, you’re on that list?” Tony asked, looking at Steve. “Are you above or below angry threats?”

“Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack…” Steve threatened, trailing off, clenching his jaw angrily.

“Threat!” Tony called. “Verbal threat! I feel threatened.”

“Show some respect.” Steve snapped.

“Respect for what?” Tony asked challengingly.

As everyone argued around her, Evelyn frowned, holding a hand to her head and feeling as though her skull was about to explode. The sounds of their back and forth arguments blended together that created a cacophony of noise, swirling around her mind.

On the table, the bright blue gem at the tip of the scepter glowed, as though in response to the arguing.

“You speak of control, yet you court chaos.” Thor said, his voice breaking through the discorded noise.

“That’s his MO, isn’t it?” Bruce asked, looking at Fury. Everyone looked at him as he continued, “I mean, what are we, a team?” He shook his head. “No, no, no. we’re a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We’re a time bomb.”

Evelyn blinked rapidly several times and looked around her, realizing that no one seemed to have noticed her brief lapse in awareness. She shook her head lightly and focused on what was being said, pondering on why the group of fully grown adults were bickering and arguing almost like children.

“You need to step away.” Fury said, slowly stepping towards Bruce.

“Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?” Tony asked, putting a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“You know damn well why.” Steve snapped, brushing Tony’s hand off his shoulder. “Back off!”

“I’m starting to want you to make me.” Tony retorted.

“Yeah.” Steve said with a scoff, stepping towards Tony and glaring at him. “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?”

“Older brother, genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, soon-to-be uncle.” Tony replied flippantly without missing a beat.

“He’s got a point.” Evelyn muttered quietly, only Natasha and Thor hearing her.

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you.” Steve said, sneering at the billionaire and wondering how someone as sweet and selfless as Evelyn could be related to someone so self-absorbed. Even Howard, a playboy though he was, had been a kind and selfless person, partly due to the effect his sister and Peggy had on him. “I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself.” Tony glared at him, his jaw clenching at the accusation that he only fought for himself. There were actually two, now four things, he fought for – Evelyn, the twins and Pepper. “You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.”

“Steve!” Evelyn shouted, appalled at what he was saying. “That was entirely uncalled for!”

While Tony certainly hadn’t become a hero to save the world, he had done it to save Evelyn, to protect her from a man they had trusted and loved as family. Though Obadiah hadn’t known about the Stark Family secret, it didn’t change the fact that the Stark children loved him and looked up to him as a father figure after Howard’s death, Tony in particular.

“I think I would just cut the wire.” Tony said flippantly before Steve could respond to Evelyn.

Steve chuckled sardonically, shaking his head. “Always a way out.” He remarked. His chuckles faded as a glare etched itself on his fair features. “You know you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”

Evelyn could only stare in stunned disbelief at what her best friend was saying. It was as though the sweet and funny guy who always stood up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves seemed to disappear, leaving instead a darker, almost bitter man.

“A hero?” Tony repeated. “Like you? You’re a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.”

“Put on the suit.” Steve challenged, stepping closer to Tony, the two men barely half a foot apart. “Let’s go a few rounds.”

“Both of you, stop it!” Evelyn shouted, shooting to her feet and striding across the lab. She stopped between them, physically pushing them apart with a hand on their chests. She frowned as a dull ache grew at the back of her skull and shook her head, pushing the pain aside and looking up at two of the dearest men in her life. “What is the matter with you?”

Thor shook his head and laughed, the sound echoing around the lab. “You people are so petty, and tiny.” The golden-haired God said, his laughter slowing to chuckles.

“Yeah, this is a team.” Bruce said sarcastically.

Tony shook his head, blinking rapidly as he started to notice a dull throb building at his temples. He rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the tension.

“Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-” Fury began, only to be cut off by the mild-mannered scientist himself.

“Where?” Bruce asked. “You rented my room.”

“The cell was just in case-” Fury began, once again trying to justify his actions.

“In case you needed to kill me.” Bruce said, cutting Fury off before he could finish. “But you can’t. I know, I tried.”

At Bruce’s admission, a stunned silence fell over the lab, everyone staring at the scientist in shock.

“Bruce?” Evelyn asked in a quiet, shaky voice, absently reaching out and gripping Tony’s hand tightly. “What do you mean?”

No matter how difficult things had gotten for her in the last 70 years, Evelyn never once considered killing herself, not wanting to leave first Howard and later Tony alone, even if the former had Maria. She had always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, even if said reason wasn’t always clear, and that all one could do was live, learn and grow from their past, the good and the bad.

“I got low, I didn’t see an end.” Bruce said softly, keenly aware of everyone’s gazes on him. He wrapped his arms around his chest almost defensively, continuing, “So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it back out.” He sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly. “So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was _good_. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk, put a _pregnant_ woman at risk.” Absently, he reached behind him while turning to look at Natasha. “You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?”

Focused on Natasha, Bruce didn’t notice how everyone’s postures become more alert and on guard; Tony wrapped his arm around Evelyn, stepping in front of her at the same time while Fury slowly went for his gun on his thigh holster, freeing the weapon from its confines but still keeping it lowered.

“Dr. Banner.” Steve called, his voice prompting the scientist to whip around to look at him. The Captain shifted so he was standing in front of Tony and Evelyn, his actions aimed more at protecting the pregnant woman than her brother. “Put down the scepter.”

Bruce frowned and looked down at his hand, realizing suddenly that he _was_ holding the scepter, the blue orb at the top glowing brightly. He looked up but before he could say anything, the computer running the search program beeped with an incoming alert, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Sorry, kids, you don’t get to see my party trick after all.” Bruce said quietly, putting the scepter back on the table and walked across the lab to the portable computer that had been running the program.

“You located the Tesseract?” Thor asked.

“I could get there fastest.” Tony said before looking down at Evelyn who had stepped out from behind him, “Eves, I want you to stay here, unless needed.”

“Okay.” Evelyn agreed, a hand on her baby bump.

“The Tesseract belongs on Asgard.” Thor argued. “No human is a match for it.”

“You’re not going alone.” Steve said, grabbing Tony by the arm and stopping him from leaving.

“You gonna stop me?” Tony asked, brushing Steve’s hand off his arm.

“Put on the suit, let’s find out.” Steve challenged.

“I’m not afraid to hit an old man.” Tony said.

“Put on the suit.” Steve repeated, this time through clenched teeth.

“Tony, Steve both of you stop it or so help me God I will smack the both of you so hard your descendants will be feeling it!” Evelyn shouted, glaring fiercely at the two bickering men.

Instantly, Steve and Tony stopped arguing, their mouths audibly snapping shut.

“Oh, my God.” Bruce breathed, staring at the screen in horrified alarm.

“Bruce what is it?” Evelyn asked, one hand on the small of her back and the other on her bump.

Before Bruce could reply, an explosion rocked the Helicarrier, a wave of fire erupting through the floor of the lab and rippling through the room. Everyone was tossed in different directions, Steve grabbing Evelyn and wrapping his arms around her seconds before they and Tony fell through the floor and onto the level below.

“Eves, are you okay?” Tony asked frantically, sitting up abruptly and looking at where Steve was curled around Evelyn. “The twins?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Evelyn replied, sitting up with Steve’s help, partly in the man’s lap and partly on the ground. There was a rapid flurry of kicks from the twins, the young expectant mother breathing a sigh of relief at the feeling. “The twins are okay as well.”

“Thank God.” Tony and Steve breathed in unison, both getting to their feet and holding their hands out to Evelyn.

She took their offered hands and pulled herself up, wincing slightly at the resulting twinge in her back.

“Put on the suit.” Steve told Tony, leading the siblings out of the small room they landed in.

“Yeah.” Tony agreed, not bothering to argue the way he had a few minutes earlier when he had been ordered to do the same thing.

Over the still active comms, the three could hear agents across the Helicarrier all clamoring. Their voices blended together as they spoke over each other and frantically tried to keep the massive ship in the air.

_“All hands to stations.”_ An agent announced over the PA system, the voice piercing through the chaos.

_“Hill!”_ Fury called into his comm, coughing against the smoke that had briefly filled the lab immediately following the explosion

_“External detonation.”_ Maria replied to the unanswered question. _“Number Three engine is down. Can they get it running?”_

_“We’ve got a fire in Engine Three.”_ Another agent said, his tone indicating he was speaking more to Maria than anyone else who was on the comm.

_“Talk to me.”_ Maria said briskly.

_“Turbine looks mostly intact but it’s impossible to get out there to make repairs while we’re still in the air.”_

“If even one more engine gets hit, we won’t _be_ in the air.” Evelyn pointed out, running between Steve and Tony, one in front of her and the other behind her as they ran through the corridors.

_“Somebody’s got to get outside and patch that engine.”_ Maria said, her tone indicating that she was speaking to whoever was on the comms rather than the agents that were clamoring around her.

_“Starks, you two copy that?”_ Fury asked.

“We’re on it, Nick.” Evelyn said, getting nods of agreement from Steve and Tony. “Are the fires contained?”

_“Yeah, we’ve got it covered.”_ Maria replied. _“As much as possible, at least. But the main priority is getting the engine back on line.”_

“Understood.” Steve said, exchanging looks with Tony and Evelyn, getting nods of agreement from them.

As useful as Evelyn’s power was when it came to containing fires, it would be completely useless if they get thrown out of the sky.

The three of them tuned out the chatter on the comms as Fury initiated orders to Phil and tried to get Natasha to respond.

“I am so going to need a massage by the time this is over.” Evelyn muttered to herself, rubbing her back as they ran through the corridors, ducking hanging wires and dodging sparks that flew from broken wires and panels.

“Let’s go, Level 4.” An agent called running passed them, leading a small group of other agents.

“Engine Three.” Tony said as they turned a corner. “I’ll meet you there.”

Steve and Evelyn nodded in understanding and continued down the hall. The pair could hear the chatter over the comms, Fury ordering the Helicarrier to be moved over the water for an added measure of precaution – if one more engine failed, they were going to drop out of the sky. They stopped in front of a sealed door, behind which was the engine they needed to reach. Through the reinforced steel, they could hear several agents yelling and banging against it.

“I won’t be able to open that.” Evelyn said, gesturing to her expanded belly.

Steve nodded and flipped the steel bolts to unlock the door, pulling it open with a quiet grunt.

“Thanks.” An agent said gratefully, moving back to allow the two through.

“Get him to the Infirmary.” Evelyn said without preamble, nodding to an injured man who was leaning precariously against the torn wall.

“Yes, Ma’am.” The first agent replied, pulling the injured man’s arm over his shoulder and helping him through the door.

“Be careful.” Another agent cautioned, briefly glancing down at the protruding belly in explanation.

“Don’t worry about me.” Evelyn said with a reassuring smile. “I have friends to watch my back. And my front, as it were. You keep your colleagues safe.”

The agent nodded and darted through the door, her weapon drawn and ready to be used.

“Stark!” Steve shouted, not seeing the billionaire. Evelyn joined him at the edge, looking up at the fires that had erupted above them. “Stark, we’re here!”

_“Good.”_ Tony said over the comms as he flew into sight. He stopped in front of the engine, peering at the damage. _“Let’s see what we got.”_

Evelyn gathered the air currents at her feet and flew up above the Helicarrier, waving her hands over the flames in a series of complicated yet graceful movements. At the same time, she let a few of the flaming tendrils surround her, obscuring her from sight completely for a few seconds before dissipating.

“I never get tired of that.” Steve said with a grin, looking up at his hovering best friend.

“I know, right?” Evelyn said, grinning brightly.

She had let the flames melt away her civilian clothes and replace them with her combat dress and accessories. The flames had also changed her hairstyle from the elegant French twist to the braided back style she preferred when fighting, the unbound sections cascading around her while her nails were once again dark metallic blue.

It was a little trick she had learned during World War 2 when she finally got irritated with the time it took to get changed before a fight or battle.

“What are we dealing with, Tony?” Evelyn asked, returning to her task of containing the flames.

_“I gotta get this superconducting coolant system back online before I can access the rotors, work on dislodging the debris.”_ Tony replied. He pushed against the panel covering the coolant system before turning to Steve, saying, _“I need you to get to that engine control panel and tell me which relays are in overload position.”_ Steve nodded in understanding and Tony turned to Evelyn, half the fires gone. _“Eves, I need you to keep these fires contained.”_

“Got it.” Evelyn replied briskly, not pausing in her task.

Below her, Steve vaulted over the gap between him and the control panel.

_“What’s it look like?”_ Tony asked over the comms.

_“It seems to run on some form of electricity.”_ Steve said, sounding completely lost.

_“Well, you’re not wrong.”_ Tony remarked. _“Eves, can you have a look at the panel?”_

“Give me a few seconds.” Evelyn replied, waving her hands over the last fire. “Containing the last fire.”

Completing her task a few seconds later, Evelyn flew down to join Steve, looking at the control panel. As she worked on checking the relays and fixing the ones in overload, she explained to Steve what she was doing, how she knew what needed fixing and what needed to be left alone. Her explanation also told Tony what he needed to know.

“Tony, the relays are intact.” She said finally after several tense minutes, moving back and letting Steve take her previous place.

“What’s our next move?” He asked, pushing the panel back into place.

_“Even if I clear the rotors, this thing won’t re-engage without a jump.”_ Tony said calculatingly, looking at the smoking rotors. _“I’m gonna have to get in there and push.”_

“And once it picks up speed, it’ll tear you to shreds.” Evelyn pointed out, part-dryly and part-worriedly.

_“That stator control unit can reverse the polarity long enough to disengage maglev and that could-”_ Tony began explaining rapidly.

“Speak English!” Steve cried, cutting him off.

“You see that red lever?” Evelyn asked, pointing to the red lever in question that she had noticed while Tony was speaking. Steve looked at where she was pointing and she continued, “It’ll slow the rotors down long enough for Tony to get out.”

_“Stand by it. Wait for my word.”_ Tony ordered.

Steve took a few steps back and ran forward, leaping over the gap between him and the lever, Evelyn manipulating the air currents to aid his jump. Reaching the other side, he stopped by the lever with Evelyn landing gracefully beside him, hand on it and ready to pull when ordered to.

_“We’ve got a perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Call-outs at every junction.”_

They could hear the call over the PA and exchanged looks. Unable to do anything to aid those inside, they focused on their task of aiding Tony.

_“We have the Hulk and Thor on Research Level 4. Levels 2 and 3 are dark.”_ An agent called over the comms, his tone indicating he was speaking to whoever was with him rather than the still open comm links.

_“Escort 6-0, proceed to Wishbone and engage hostile.”_ Maria’s voice ordered over the comm.

“Oh, no.” Evelyn breathed, her eyes wide in alarm.

_“Don’t get too close.”_ Maria cautioned.

_“Copy.”_ An agent replied in response.

“What does that mean?” Steve asked, looking at Evelyn.

“It means they’re trying to get the Hulk’s attention.” Evelyn replied. “He, more than Thor, is going to tear the Helicarrier apart in a rampage. A fighter jet has been dispatched to fire on him, just enough to get his attention and stop the rampage.”

_“Target acquired.”_

“Why do I have a bad feeling about how that’s going to end?” Steve asked with a frown.

“Because it’s not going to end well.” Evelyn replied.

She turned and looked out at the destruction they were trying to fix, Tony beneath the rotors and clearing out the lodged debris. As much as she wanted to help the Hulk calm down from his rampage, she knew she wouldn’t reach the Hangar in time and she would only just get in the way; she had to trust that the agents could handle the situation.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the Hulk’s roars echoed on the wind, angry and pained.

_“Target angry! Target angry! Target angry!”_ The pilot shouted in alarm.

“Of course, he’s angry.” Evelyn said dryly, shaking her head exasperatedly. “You just _shot_ at him. Anyone would get a might ticked.”

“Uh-oh.” Steve said, looking down at the hallway below them.

“What?” Evelyn asked, turning and following his line of sight. “Oh. Uh-oh”

A man pulled out a grenade and tossed it up towards them. Steve vaulted over the gap and into the opening across from him while Evelyn flew up into the air, avoiding the projectile. It exploded seconds after they were clear, thankfully not hitting either of them or the Helicarrier.

Steve grunted as he blocked a blow from his opponent, punching him in the face and knocking him out. Evelyn threw small orbs of air at a group of men that approached the Captain, manipulating the element to surround their heads and slowly siphon away their oxygen. Within seconds, they were unconscious, and she immediately cancelled the bubbles – she wanted to knock them out, not cause them permanent brain damage due to lack of oxygen.

“Thanks!” Steve called, grinning up at her as he tossed another hostile out through the gap. “Just like old times!”

“Behind you!” Evelyn called in warning, manipulating the air currents to catch the man.

Steve turned and ducked the spray of machine gun fire, grabbing another gun and throwing it at his opponent. Evelyn carefully lifted the man into an opening a few levels below Steve and dropped him gently on the racked floor, manipulating the air into a bubble around his head and knocking him out. Steve vaulted over the railing, climbing onto the level above him and grabbed another gun, firing at the hostile that continued shooting at them – only pausing when the gun had been thrown at him and he ducked out of the way. The Captain continued firing, inching backwards until he was beside the lever before pausing. He kept his weapon aimed at the opening the hostiles had come through, though his opponent had taken cover against the still intact wall.

Suddenly, the telltale humming of the engines reduced, the sound becoming lower. Steve and Evelyn exchanged looks, wondering what was going on.

_“Engine 1 is now in shut down.”_ An agent announced over the PA as if in response to their confusion.

“Oh dear.” Evelyn said as agents clamored over the comms, frantically trying to restart the engine.

The Helicarrier tipped to the side, falling from the sky without the engines keeping them in the air.

_“We are in an uncontrolled descent.”_ An agent called over the comms.

Evelyn flew away from Steve, gathering the air currents around the sky-ship and slowing down the descent. She didn’t know if she could keep it in the air, but she might be able to at least lessen the impact if they fall.

_“Sir, we’ve lost all power in Engine 1.”_ Another agent called.

_“Descent is being slowed.”_ The previous agent announced. _“Phoenix, whatever you’re doing, keep doing it.”_

“I don’t know how long I can keep us in the air, but I can slow our descent to lessen the impact if we fall.” Evelyn reported.

_“That’s good enough.”_ Maria said.

_“It’s Barton.”_ Nick said. _“He took out our systems. He’s headed for the Detention Level. Does anybody copy?”_

“He’s headed for Loki!” Evelyn cried in alarm, not tearing her attention away from her task.

_“This is Agent Romanoff.”_ Natasha said over the comms, her breathing labored. _“I copy.”_

“Nat, you’re injured!” Evelyn argued, gritting her teeth against the strain. “I can tell just by the sound of your voice.”

_“I’m the only one who can go after him, Evy.”_ Natasha said, her voice still labored but the pitch indicating she was already moving. _“We need you to keep us in the air until Tony can fix the engine.”_

“Be careful.” Evelyn said, acquiescing to the older woman. Quietly, she added, “Please, be safe.”

_“Your hormones are really doing a number on you, aren’t they?”_ Natasha asked conversationally, an amused note in her voice.

“That wasn’t my hormones talking!” Evelyn cried, bordering on a wail. “But yes, they are putting me through the ringer.”

_“Starks, we’re losing altitude.”_ Fury said, cutting through the by-play between the two redheads.

_“Yeah, we noticed.”_ Tony replied dryly.

_“_ You try holding a great big bloody ship in the air!” Evelyn snapped furiously, sweat pouring down her face as she struggled to keep the Helicarrier in the air as much as possible. She gritted her teeth, biting back a groan when she felt another wave of Braxton-Hicks contractions ripple through her.

Tony fired up his thrusters and began manually pushing the propellers.

By the lever, Steve continued firing at the oncoming hostiles, preventing them from getting near the red switch. Inching backwards, his foot slipped, and he fell from the opening behind him with a gasped scream.

“Steve!” Evelyn cried, throwing her hand out and catching him with swirling air currents. Gritting her teeth, her attention divided between keeping the Helicarrier in the air and her friend from falling, she tried to carry Steve back to the opening. “I can’t do both.” She gasped.

Steve, seeing her struggle, reached out and grabbed a cord that was hanging by him. “Evy, let me go.” He said, wrapping the cord around his arm. “I’ll climb up. You need to focus on keeping us in the air.”

“Are you sure?” Evelyn asked through gritted teeth, sweat dripping down her face.

“Yes.” Steve said.

Evelyn nodded and turned her attention back onto the descending carrier, the air currents holding Steve up disappearing.

Over the comms, she heard a grunt and a thump indicating someone was knocked out. It was followed by Phil’s polite voice, saying, _“Move away, please.”_ There was a moment of tense silence before he continued _, “You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don’t know what it does; I doubt even Dr. Stark knows.”_ The sound of the weapon powering up filled the channel for a few seconds before Phil’s voice was heard once again, _“Do you want to find out?”_

“Phil, what are you doing?” Evelyn gasped, her eyes wide as she heard the one-sided conversation over the comms. Before any reply can be given, Phil let out a pained groan as the sound of him being pierced filled the channel. “PHIL!!!”

_“NO!!”_ Thor’s shout could be heard, muffled though it was as he didn’t have a comm.

Evelyn’s hold over the Helicarrier slipped and the massive ship began falling rapidly.

Over the comms, the sound of agents clamoring could be heard.

_“All hands to crash stations immediately.”_ An agent called over the PA, breaking through the clamor.

_Phoenix, you need to keep us in the air!”_ Maria shouted in reminder.

Evelyn gritted her teeth and channeled her pain and fury into manipulating the air current, her dress and the unbound sections of her hair billowing around her. She created large vortexes of air under three of the engines, creating a smaller and tamer vortex under the one Tony was working on. The rapid descent ceased and the Helicarrier steadied once again in the sky.

_“Eves, release the air beneath Engine 3.”_ Tony ordered. The redhead did as she was told, focusing her attention on the remaining engines. _“Cap, hit the lever.”_

“I need a minute here!” Steve shouted, hanging by the cord and only half way up.

_“Lever.”_ Tony said urgently. _“Now!”_

Evelyn looked down, trying to find a way she could get to the lever without losing her hold over the Helicarrier. There wasn’t one. Over the past several minutes, she had floated away from her initial position, ending up above the floating fortress as she manipulated three massive vortexes of air simultaneously.

_“Uh-oh.”_ Tony muttered.

“What uh-oh?” Evelyn asked in frantic alarm.

_“Help!”_ Tony cried, the sound being muffled by the almost rhythmic thumping of him being repeatedly hit by the rotors. There was a loud scream followed by the thrusters firing up as he caught himself on the air. He flew back to the opening where Steve was, reaching just as a hostile let out a spray of bullets. He went straight for the man, knocking him out and landing beside him on his back. _“I’m okay, Eves, I’m okay.”_ He said somewhat faintly, lifting his visor.

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief, finally taking note of the rapid kicking against her stomach as the twins made their displeasure known. They were not happy with the stress their mother was in, _at all_. In the distance, not far from her, she could see Loki getting on a Quinjet and taking off. The Trickster looked at her, his gaze falling to the rounded belly with an almost knowing look in his eye. In that moment, she knew that he was aware of who the father was – his brother.

“Loki’s leaving.” She said softly. “I can’t stop him, not without losing my hold on the carrier.”

_“Eves, what is it?”_ Tony asked before anyone could respond to her news. He noticed the strange note in her voice and didn’t like it, a glance at Steve showing that he too had noticed.

“I think he knows who the twins’ father is.” She replied. “It’s just a feeling, but the way he looked at my belly as he was leaving makes me think he knows.”

_“Phoenix, just focus on keeping us in the air.”_ Nick ordered. _“We’ll deal with the possibility of him knowing once we’re no longer under the threat of falling.”_

“Yes, sir.” Evelyn replied. She knew the man wasn’t being callous, he was thinking of everyone on the ship that could die if they fell. “What about Phil? Is he-?”

_“Agent Coulson is down.”_ Nick said formally, his voice tinged with sorrow.

_“A medical team is on its way to your location.”_ An agent said.

_“They’re here.”_ Nick said. _“They called it.”_

Evelyn closed her eyes, tears dripping from the emerald orbs and down her cheeks in silent rivers. In that moment, she vowed to make the Trickster pay for all the lives he took, the innocent and the ones who tried to stop him. It no longer mattered that he was her babies’ uncle and as such, he was family; the Trickster will pay.


	6. Motivation and Resolve

**Chapter 5: Motivation and Resolve**

Evelyn sat between Tony and Steve at the round table they had all been briefed at only a few hours earlier. She was once again in her civilian clothes, the pearl-grey blouse, off-white trousers and darker off-white pumps. Her long hair was open, hanging over her shoulder while her brother held to a few tendrils with a tight grip.

It had been a coping mechanism he had developed when he was small, whenever he felt like he was drowning and needed something to hold on to. For the most part, he had grown out of it as he got older but the _need_ for that comfort came back full force after their three-month captivity in Afghanistan and all the events that followed – his palladium poisoning, her pregnancy, his growing feelings for Pepper, their decision to give the company to Pepper and let her in on the Family Secret. Tony needed something he had associated with comfort and safety and Evelyn was only too happy to give that to him; she saw it as proof that her nephew still needed her, no matter how old he got or what their cover story is, he still needed her just as much as she needed him.

Nick walked up to them with a solemn expression on his face, fiddling with something in his hands. He stopped on the opposite side of the table and sighed heavily; Phil was more than a comrade or an underling, he was a dear friend. He hoped, _prayed_ to a God he didn’t believe in, that he was doing the right thing.

Steeling his resolve for the first time in years, he held up the items in his hand. “These were in Phil Coulson’s jacket. Guess he never did get you to add your signature to them, Captain, like he got Evy to.”

Nick gently tossed the items onto the table, revealing them to be the vintage trading cards portraying Captain America and Lady Dara in various poses that had been distributed during and after World War 2.

They were stained with blood, Phil’s blood.

Evelyn gasped involuntarily, one hand covering her mouth and resting the other on her bump, the babies kicking in response to her emotions. Tony tightened his grip on her hair with one hand while gently rubbing her arm with the other in an attempt to comfort her. Unfortunately, the effect didn’t quite work as it had in the past, his own emotions turbulent and raging beneath the surface.

It was only their years of living among the upper echelons of New York, their upbringing that kept them from completely breaking down while outside the privacy of their quarters.

Similarly, it was only Steve’s military training, no matter how condensed it had been, that prevented him from breaking down in front of the other agents that were working frantically at the computers.

“We’re dead in the air up here.” Nick continued as Steve reached out and gingerly picked up one of the stained cards, looking at it with a mix of sadness and regret. The image was of Steve and Estelle in full costume, standing side by side and saluting. “Our communications, the location of the Cube, Banner, Thor… I got nothing for you. I lost my one good eye.” He shook his head disparagingly. “Maybe I had that coming.” He paused for a moment, looking as though he was collecting his thoughts before continuing, “Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number thought because I was playing something even riskier.” Steve looked up at the Director, confusion clear in his blue eyes. “There was an idea, the Starks know this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could.” He looked between Tony, Steve and Evelyn, piercing each of them with his penetrative gaze that none could hold for more than a few seconds; not even Evelyn was able to and she had been the one to _teach_ Nick the look. “Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes.”

Tony shot to his feet abruptly, letting go of Evelyn’s hair in the process.

“Tony?” Evelyn called softly, looking up at her brother’s back.

Tony didn’t respond, only glancing back at her for a brief second before stalking out of the cavernous room. Evelyn pushed herself to her feet using the armrest of her chair and the table and hurried after him, struggling to keep up with his rapid strides. Behind her, she could hear Nick commenting that this notion of heroes that he believed was rather old-fashioned, but he still continued to believe in it.

She shook her head, ducking around the agents that were in the halls. She knew what Nick was doing, manipulating them and using Phil’s trading cards as a form of motivation to encourage them to fight or something. Evelyn knew this because Phil had once told her that he always kept the cards in his locker while at work, taking them home at the end of each day and then bringing them back the next morning.

Despite knowing of the manipulation, she couldn’t bring herself to be angry with Nick. Though she wasn’t happy about how it was done, she knew that the boys had needed a push, and perhaps she herself did as well. In the past 70 years, she had begun to hide in the shadows, especially after Howard and Maria died, focusing on helping Jarvis raise Tony and run Stark Industries in the process. She had become so preoccupied with her own life, secrets and issues that she had completely neglected her responsibility to SHIELD as one of the Founders, now the last surviving able-minded member of that panel. Perhaps if she had done her job, Nick wouldn’t have felt the need to resort to manipulation and weapons to get the job done.

Sighing heavily, Evelyn shook herself out of her thoughts as she caught up with Tony on the mezzanine that once overlooked the cage. The large cylindrical glass room was gone, leaving behind a gaping and empty circle.

“Tony?” Evelyn called softly, alerting the man to her presence as she stepped next to him.

Tony was staring at the floor vacantly, the opening that the cage had been jettisoned through sealed shut once more. Evelyn put a gentle hand on his shoulder in support, comforting him with her silence. He reached up and squeezed her hand gently, not saying a word. She turned and looked around the room, letting the air currents paint the scene that had occurred between Phil and Loki – she could _see_ where Loki had managed to trick Thor into the cage, she could _hear_ him gloating to his brother about how he had succeeded in using the same trick twice on the blond prince, she could see when Phil had interrupted the gloating session with the prototype gun in hand, she could see how Loki tricked Phil as well and stabbed him in the back with the scepter.

She could see and hear _everything_ that had occurred.

Drawn out of the recent past by the sound of purposeful yet heavy footfalls, she didn’t need to look to know that Steve had found them. Evelyn heard him walk out onto the mezzanine from another doorway.

For a few seconds, Steve was silent, just watching his former partner and her nephew turned brother. In that moment, he could see the similarities between Howard and Tony, both men prone to grieving in silence and bottling everything up except to only a small number of people that could be counted on one hand. Evelyn/ Estelle had been at the top of that list, the only one who could really draw Howard out from his sorrow without him realizing it, letting him grieve but also keeping him grounded in reality and not letting him succumb to his pain.

“Was he married?” Steve asked finally, breaking the silence that hung in the air.

“No.” Evelyn replied quietly, not moving from her position beside Tony or looking away from the floor. “He was dating someone, a concert cellist. I met her a few times, even saw her play once; she was really sweet and was completely in love with him.”

Evelyn had actually been in Portland to watch the cellist, Audrey Nathan, play at the Portland Symphony when Phil had met her. Audrey was in fact being stalked by someone at the time and the police hadn’t believed her though Phil had been sent when SHIELD learned of her stalker and his energy absorption ability. Once the stalker was taken into SHIELD custody and Audrey was safe, Evelyn had been the one to encourage Phil to ask the beautiful cellist out, having seen the attraction between the two of them.

“I’m sorry.” Steve said softly. “He seemed like a good man.”

“He was one of the best.” Evelyn said softly. “He was actually the only one who figured out who I was on his own and once he had gotten over the fact that I was once Lady Dara, he became a close friend and confidant. He was the one spearheading the investigation into my pregnancy, spending every spare moment he had searching for answers.”

Tony snorted derisively. “He was an idiot.” He snapped.

“Why?” Steve asked him. “For believing?”

“For taking on Loki alone.” Tony replied.

“He was doing his job, Tony.” Evelyn said gently.

“He was out of his league.” Tony scoffed. “He should have waited. He should have…” He trailed off.

“Sometimes there isn’t a way out, Tony.” Steve said.

“Right, I’ve heard that before.” Tony said snidely, stalking past Steve.

“Is this the first time you’ve lost a soldier?” Steve asked gently; it was always hard, but the first time was the worst.

“We are _not_ soldiers.” Tony hissed angrily, spinning around and glaring at Steve. “None of us!”

Steve glanced at Evelyn, expecting her to comment on her brother’s remark but instead she just shook her head.

“I’m not a soldier any more than Tony is.” She said quietly, one hand on her baby bump where she could feel the babies’ fluttering movements. “Not even during the war had I been a soldier; I was, and am, a doctor and a scientist.”

“I’m not marching to Fury’s fife.” Tony said firmly, wrapping his arm around Evelyn’s shoulders and pulling her close to him.

“Nor am I.” Evelyn admitted quietly. “Nick may be a friend of mine, and one of the few people I have trusted with our secrets, but I refuse to dance to his tune.”

“I feel the same way.” Steve told the siblings. “Fury’s got the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now, we’ve got to put that behind us and get this done.”

“To accomplish his plan, Loki needs a power source.” Evelyn said as Tony’s gaze wandered to the bloodstain that remained on one of the lower panels where Phil had been stabbed.

“If we can put together a list-” Steve said.

“He made it personal.” Tony said, cutting the Super Soldier off.

“That’s not the point.” Steve said, shaking his head.

“That _is_ the point.” Tony argued adamantly. “ _That’s_ Loki’s point. He hit us all right where we live.”

“But why would he do that?” Evelyn asked, confused. “To tear us apart?”

“Yeah, divide and conquer is great.” Tony muttered, his mind racing to connect the dots. “But he knows he has to take us out to win, right? _That’s_ what he wants.”

“He’s an egotistical narcissist.” Evelyn supplied. “He wants to beat us, yes, but he wants to be _seen_ doing it. He wants an audience.”

“Right. I caught his act in Stuttgart.” Steve said, nodding along.

“Yeah, that’s just previews.” Tony said. “This is opening night. And Loki, he’s a full-tilt diva, right? He wants flowers, he wants parades. He wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered-” He stopped abruptly, looking at Evelyn with his eyes wide, her own orbs just as large.

“Son of a bitch!” The Stark siblings exclaimed in unison.

“What?” Steve asked, completely lost.


	7. The Stark Siblings Distraction

**Chapter 6: The Stark Siblings Distraction**

Evelyn and Steve walked purposefully through Hangar Bay 6 with Natasha and Clint flanking them on either side; all of them were in their combat suits, designated weapons in hand. They strode up the ramp and into the only remaining Quinjet still capable of flight, the mechanic performing maintenance just behind the cockpit looking up at the sight of them.

“Hey, you guys aren’t authorized to be in here.” He said nervously, getting to his feet and looking at the four suited heroes.

“Son, just don’t.” Steve said with a sigh, stepping past him.

“B-But-” The mechanic stammered helplessly.

“Tyler, we need to borrow the Quinjet so we can stop Loki.” Evelyn said as Clint and Natasha took the pilot and co-pilot seats respectively. She gently ushered the mechanic, Tyler, off the jet. “We promise to do everything humanly possible to keep it in one piece.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” Tyler said bluntly, stepping off the ramp and moving back.

“I know.” Evelyn sighed, pressing a button on the side and closing the doors.

Clint fired up the engines and launched them out of the Hangar Bay. The alert of their unauthorized departure echoed through the speakers that still linked them to the Helicarrier despite the communications still being down. In front of them, Tony flew in his Iron Man armor, the metal sparking as the power levels decreased; the genius had only had enough time to patch the suit up enough to get him to the tower.

“Evy, you ready?” Steve asked, looking at the pregnant redhead in front of him.

“As I’ll ever be.” Evelyn replied honestly.

“Good luck.” Natasha called, as Steve opened the loading bay doors.

Evelyn leapt out of the jet and gathered the air currents beneath her feet, shooting through the air. She quickly caught up with Tony as they arched up towards the roof of Stark Tower where Dr. Selvig was working on a machine to open a portal into space powered by the Tesseract and the building’s Arc Reactor.

_“Sir, Ma’am, I’ve turned off the Arc Reactor, but the device is already self-sustaining.”_ JARVIS informed them as they stopped and hovered above the Tower.

“Shut off the device, please, Dr. Selvig.” Evelyn ordered.

“It’s too late!” Dr. Selvig exclaimed brightly. His clothes were rumpled in evidence of wearing them for several days, his face unshaved as a rough stubble spread across his jaw and cheeks while his eyes where a bright, unnatural blue. The blue color of his eyes was the exact same color as the Tesseract. “She can’t stop now. She wants to show us something! A new universe.”

“Okay.” Tony muttered, aiming his repulsor beams at the device. “Eves, stay back.”

“What are you going to do?” Evelyn asked, doing as she was told and floating several feet to the side.

Instead of answering, Tony fired the beams at the device, only for an impenetrable shield to form around it before the blast could hit. An explosion resulted from the energy of the forcefield mixing with the repulsor beams, hitting Tony in the chest and sending him flying back while the mild concussion wave knocked Dr. Selvig out. Evelyn shook her head exasperatedly and gathered the air currents around Tony, supporting him until he was able to regain his bearings and reignite the thrusters.

_“The barrier is pure energy.”_ JARVIS said. _“It’s unbreachable.”_

“It’s powered by the Tesseract.” Evelyn added. “I’d have warned you if you told me what you were planning. Your suit can’t take much more of a beating!” She gestured to the battered suit he was wearing, covered with scratches and tears not only from his fight with Thor but also from when he had attempted to fix the Helicarrier’s damaged turbine and was nearly torn to shreds when the propellers were reactivated.

“Then it’s time for Plan B.” Tony said, looking down.

Evelyn followed his gaze and saw Loki standing on the veranda, looking up at them with a smug smirk on his face.

_“Sir, the Mark 7 is not ready for deployment.”_ JARVIS warned.

“Then skip the spinning rims, we’re on the clock.” Tony said. He landed on the landing pad with a quiet thud and JARVIS began the process of removing the suit as he walked towards the doors. Evelyn followed behind him, quietly entering the Tower as Loki entered from the other door.

“Please tell me you’re going to appeal to my humanity.” The Trickster said, walking towards the siblings.

“Actually, Tony is planning on threatening you.” Evelyn said, wincing and breathing slowly through a wave of Braxton-Hicks contractions. “Ow.” She groaned, rubbing her back.

“He should have left his armor on for that.” Loki said silkily, running his eyes over Evelyn’s form and lingering on her protruding belly.

“It’s seen a bit of mileage.” Tony commented dismissively walking towards the bar. “And you’ve got the glow stick of destiny.” He waved his hand at the Scepter and Loki smirked, glancing at it. “Would you like a drink?”

Loki chuckled. “Stalling me won’t change anything.” He warned.

“Loki, I told you. Tony’s threatening you, not stalling you.” Evelyn said with an exasperated sigh.

“No drink? You sure?” Tony asked, grabbing a decanter and a glass. “Eves, what about you?”

“Pregnant!” Evelyn called, rolling her large eyes. “I can’t drink!”

“Sorry!” Tony apologized sheepishly.

Evelyn looked at Loki, seeing him eye her rounded stomach with a knowing look in his gaze. “You know who the father is.” She stated rather than asked.

“My brother, Thor.” Loki replied. “It had admittedly taken some time for me to work out why the lifeforces of your young seemed so familiar while at the same time being foreign to me. The familiarity comes from them being Thor’s children while the foreign energy comes from you.” He frowned slightly. “Though, I do not know how he could be as he was on Asgard at what I’m assuming was the time of conception.”

“I was surgically impregnated.” Evelyn informed him honestly. “The last thing I remember is 6 months ago, I went to a nearby pub after work and the next thing I know, I am waking up in a motel room the next morning with no memory after my first drink.”

“You can die giving birth to these children.” Loki said bluntly. “They are Asgardian offspring. It is no easy feat for a mortal to bear even a single Asgardian child let alone two.”

“I know.” Evelyn said softly, her hands on her rounded belly, feeling the fluttering movements of the twins beneath her palms.

“Do you not desire vengeance against those who have filled you with child without your consent?” He asked silkily, making use of his silver tongue. “Against those who have all but sealed your fate and that of your children? After all, for what other purpose would those people desire Asgardian offspring other than to mold them to whatever they desire?”

“Your silver tongue will not work on me, Trickster.” Evelyn told him with a raised eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips. Loki shrugged unconcernedly, smirking back at her. Her smile faded and she became serious as she continued, “And anyways, what good would it do to attack an entire race for the actions of a few idiots? If I ever meet the ones who impregnated me and learn what their intentions towards these children are, then I will decide whether or not to fight them in defence of my family. However, I assure you, I will give them a good smack regardless for what they are putting both our families through.”

Loki looked at her for a moment, seeing the fire of determination and protection swirling within her emerald orbs while she absently rubbed her protruding belly. He had no doubt, this woman would fight The Mad Titan himself in the defence of her loved ones; by her own admission, she would ‘smack’ the ones who had impregnated her, not for filling her with child without her consent, but for what it meant for their families and for Thor. He wouldn’t be surprised that, _if_ she and Thor were to survive the Chitauri’s pending attack and she survived the birth of the children, his brother would eventually fall in love with her. This woman was beautiful, smart, determined and fiercely protective of those she loved.

Loki pushed these thoughts away, instead turning away and looking out at the skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “The Chitauri are coming.” He said, bringing them all back on topic. “Nothing will change that.” He faced the siblings once again. “What have I to fear?”

“The Avengers.” Tony replied loftily. Loki frowned, looking between the siblings in confusion. “It’s what we call ourselves. We’re sort of like a team. ‘Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’-type thing.”

Behind the mask of flippancy, however, he was worried for Evelyn and the babies. First Thor had expressed the risk the pregnancy posed and now Loki did, though the latter was much more blunt with what could happen to the redhead. He hoped, _prayed_ to a God he had long since stopped believing in, that Thor would be able to help Evelyn and the babies, that all three of them would survive the birth with the aid of the Asgardian healers.

“Yes, I’ve met them.” Loki said with a smirk, drawing Tony out of his worry-filled thoughts.

“All right, I’ll admit, it takes us some time to get any form of traction.” Evelyn admitted reluctantly. “We _are_ , after all, very different individuals with our own personalities.”

“But let’s do a headcount, here.” Tony said. “My sister, the element-wielder who’s also carrying your brother, the demigod’s, babies.” He discreetly reached down and slipped a pair of Colantotte Bracelets on his wrists as he continued to speak, “A super soldier, a living legend who kinda lives up to the legend. A man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you’ve managed to piss off every single one of them.”

“That was the plan.” Loki said, smirking.

“Well, it was certainly a terrible plan.” Evelyn said incredulously. “When we assemble, and we will, of that I can assure you, we will come for you.”

“I have an army.” Loki said unconcerned.

“We have a Hulk.” Tony said, walking around the bar.

“I thought the beast had wandered off.” Loki said in mock concern.

“You’re missing the point.” Tony said, walking across the room towards the Trickster. “There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. _Maybe_ your army comes and _maybe_ it’s too much for us, but it’s all on you.”

“If we can’t protect the Earth, you can be damn well certain we’ll avenge it.” Evelyn declared, rising to her feet and looking at Loki with determination swirling within her emerald orbs.

“Tell me, dear Lady, how will you and your friends have time for me when you are all so busy fighting your brother?” Loki asked Evelyn, stalking towards Tony. The Trickster raised his Scepter and pressed it against Tony’s chest, directly where the arc reactor rested as it worked to keep the billionaire alive. Loki frowned in confusion and pressed the Scepter against Tony’s chest again. “This usually works.” He said softly.

“Well, performance issues, it’s not uncommon.” Tony said flippantly. “One out of five-” He was cut off by Loki grabbing him by the throat and tossing him across the room.

“Tony!” Evelyn cried, running to him.

“I’m okay.” Tony gasped. “JARVIS, anytime now.” He muttered, slowly getting to his feet.

Loki aimed his Scepter at Evelyn and fired an energy blast at her, keeping her from reaching Tony and instead prompting her to create a wall of fire around herself to prevent being hit. While the pregnant woman shielded herself from the lethal blast, the Trackster crossed the room towards Tony and grabbed the billionaire by the throat once more.

“Deploy!” Tony shouted. 

“You will all fall before me.” Loki hissed angrily.

“Deploy!” Tony rasped as he was lifted a foot off the ground by the God of Mischief.

He screamed as the Trickster threw him through the window and out of the Tower. Evelyn formed a fireball in her hands and threw it at Loki, not waiting to see if it hit as she dove out of the shattered window after her brother. She gathered the air currents beneath his falling form, slowing his descent as JARVIS deployed the Mark 7 armor that locked onto the signal emitting from Tony’s bracelets.

As the armor formed around Tony, Evelyn began dispersing the air currents and he fired up his thrusters once he was completely encased. The civilians below ducked as the siblings shot back up through the air, flying towards the Tower’s penthouse level.

“Oh, and there is one other person that you have pissed off.” Evelyn told Loki, hovering outside the window beside Tony and glaring furiously at the Trickster; Loki looked slightly singed around the edges, evidence of her fireball hitting its mark.

“His name was Phil.” Tony said.

Loki raised his Scepter and pointed it at the siblings. Tony aimed his repulsor at the Trickster and fired the beam just as Evelyn created a fireball in her palm and threw it at him. Both attacks hit true and Loki was thrown backwards several feet, landing on his back with a groan.


	8. The First Waves

**Chapter 8: The First Waves**

Tony and Evelyn’s attention were drawn to the concentrated beam of frosted blue energy that shot into the sky, fired from the device on the roof of the Tower. A swirling portal slowly opened, and a large number of reptilian-like creatures surged out riding their chariot flyers.

“Right.” Tony breathed. “Army.”

“Forget massage, I am going to need a serious spa day when this is over.” Evelyn muttered, flying up towards the oncoming surge and forming a fireball in each hand.

_“Whatever you want.”_ Tony called through their com system, flying alongside her.

In unison, both siblings fired at the Chitauri while dodging the returning weapons blasts and resulting explosions.

_“Heads up.”_ Tony warned. _“Firing mini-missiles.”_

He fired the miniature, guided air-to-air missiles that were housed in the compartments on each of his shoulders. Evelyn dropped down several feet as explosions filled the air from the missiles hitting their targets, manipulating the resulting fire to strike the creatures that managed to avoid the miniature weapons.

However, despite their efforts, several of the Chitauri managed to slip past their attacks and made their way down to the city streets below. The creatures fired their weapons at the civilians and the cars that filled the roads, causing chaos and panic to spread. Cars exploded and civilians screamed, running in different directions while avoiding the deadly laser blasts of the alien’s weapons fire.

“I’m headed down!” Evelyn shouted to Tony, seeing the chaos that filled the streets below them. “We need to protect civilians!”

_“Be careful!”_ Tony responded.

“Aren’t I always?” Evelyn asked cheekily.

She flew down towards the streets, catching sight of Thor out of the corner of her eye. The blond-haired God of Thunder, once again in full armor, flew towards the Tower where his brother stood watching the pandemonium below, landing on the veranda and calling out to Loki. Evelyn tuned them both out, focusing on dodging the Chitauri’s weapons blasts while manipulating the plant-life along the streets to shield the civilians as they ran for cover.

A car flipped over beside her and she threw her hand out, using the air to stop it in place while using her other hand to maintain the plant-shields she had formed around a group of civilians that looked to have been the nearby café’s patrons along with a waitress.

“Go!” She shouted to them, lowering the car back to the ground. The small group needed no further encouragement and ran into the café, joined by a dozen other people; they gathered at the windows and watched the fight occurring in the streets and in the skies above them.

Evelyn formed a fireball and threw it at an oncoming Chitauri flyer, blowing it up in the process; the explosion taking out half a dozen surrounding flyers at the same time. She looked around and saw a squadron of flyers coming towards her.

“Yup, definitely going to need spa day.” She muttered, shooting into the air. She formed a large fireball in each hand, increasing their size until they covered her entire arms before firing them at the approaching squadron.

Each flyer exploded in a fiery explosion, setting off another one and another one until there was only a massive burning mass in front of her.

“Oh, shit! I did not think of that!” Evelyn cried, waving her hands at the fire hydrants that lined the sidewalks at regular intervals.

Water gushed out of them like a geyser and she manipulated the waves to pour over the burning remnants of the chariots on the ground. She could hear sirens in the distance getting closer and looked up, not stopping her task of dousing the flames, to see several police squad cars racing into sight. The vehicles skidded to a stop at the end of the road and the officers climbed out, staring at the creatures that flew overhead.

“Officers, get the civilians to safety!” Evelyn ordered firmly, drawing the officers’ attention to the matter at hand.

“Yes, Ma’am.” One of the officers replied, turning and running towards a few civilians that were huddled in the shadow of a building.

With nothing left of the squadron she had been facing except for charred rubble and the civilians being looked after by the on-duty police officers, Evelyn shot into the air and flew off as several Chitauri flyers chased after her. She formed and fired several fireballs in quick succession, feeling the heat of the resulting explosions as her attacks hit their marks.

Just as the air cleared of the smoke from the explosions, she saw Tony heading towards her with yet another squadron of Chitauri flyers chasing after him.

_“How’s it going?”_ Tony asked, his tone almost casual as they met up and began flying alongside each other with the flyers still on their tail.

“These babies haven’t given me a moment’s peace.” Evelyn replied, gesturing to her protruding belly. “They have been kicking almost non-stop for the past several minutes!” It was only her years of compartmentalizing that allowed her to focus on the task at hand and not the rapid flurry of their movements. However, despite her complaints, she was comforted by the kicking as it reassured her of their wellbeing.

_“Starks, we’re on your three, headed northeast.”_ Natasha’s voice filtered through the comms before Tony could reply to the pregnant woman’s complaint.

“What? Did you stop for drive-thru?” Tony asked instead, his voice filled with irritation.

“Hey, if you did, did anyone pick up a double latte for me?” Evelyn asked, throwing a fireball at a Chitauri flyer that was getting too close to them. “I have not had coffee in over 5 months!”

“Eves, you’re not allowed caffeine.” Tony reminded her. Evelyn growled at him which he expertly ignored. “Natasha, swing up Park. Eves and I’ll lay them out for you.”

_“Understood.”_ Natasha replied.

Evelyn and Tony flew past Stark Tower where Thor and Loki were still battling on the veranda. Neither sibling stopped their flight due to the Chitauri flyers on their tail, instead flying through the streets several feet in the air. They were met by the Quinjet, Natasha lowered the Gatling Gun that was mounted on the underside of the front of the craft and fired at the creatures, destroying them with the powerful weapon in conjunction with the fireballs Evelyn threw.

_“Sir, Ma’am, we have more incoming.”_ JARVIS informed them.

_“Fine.”_ Tony said determinedly. _“Let’s keep them occupied. Eves, help the Agents.”_

“Got it.” Evelyn replied, flying beside the Quinjet.

Tony flew off in one direction while Evelyn continuously fired fireballs at the Chitauri while Natasha fired the Gatling Gun at the same time. They flew past Stark Tower once again and saw Thor and Loki still fighting, though this time it seemed that Loki was getting the upper hand.

_“Ladies?”_ Clint called, angling the Quinjet towards the battling Gods.

_“I see him.”_ Natasha said. _“Phoenix, get Loki’s attention.”_

Evelyn flew towards the tower, staying a safe distance away from the battling Gods, before forming a fireball in her hand. “Heads up!” She shouted, grabbing their attention.

Thor ducked out of the way just as Evelyn threw the fireball at Loki. The Trickster fired a blast from his Scepter, canceling out the fireball and Evelyn was forced to drop several feet as the lethal beam headed towards her. Unfortunately, the blast hit the Quinjet instead and struck the wing, causing it to erupt in flames.

“Guys, I won’t be able to stop it!” Evelyn shouted urgently as Thor drew Loki’s attention with a well-placed punch, the brothers resuming their fight.

_“Employing emergency landing maneuvers!”_ Clint declared. _“Hold tight!”_

Evelyn flew after the Quinjet as Clint piloted it down towards the street, manipulating the trees that lined the sidewalks to keep people out of the way of the oncoming craft. The jet landed on the road, skidding several feet before stopping at the very edge of one of the skyrise buildings and as Steve, Clint and Natasha ran out through the loading bay doors, Evelyn waved her hand at a fire hydrant. Just like before, water gushed out of it and she manipulated the element to the burning jet, dousing the fire before it could cause any more damage than was already done.

“We gotta get back up there.” Steve said, running back in the direction of the Stark Tower with Natasha and Clint behind him.

Evelyn finished dousing the fire and manipulated the trees back into their previous positions before flying towards Steve, Natasha and Clint. She caught up with them just as they reached Grand Central Station, all four of them stopping in their tracks, Evelyn hovering a few feet above the ground, when a low-pitched hum filled the air.

In unison, all four of them looked up at the portal that filled the sky above Stark Tower. To their horror, hundreds more Chitauri flyers glided through the opening and out into New York followed by a massive Leviathan. They watched as the flyers shot off in different directions and the Leviathan glided down towards the city, passing over Grand Central Station and breaking the marble sculpture on the edge of the roof in the process.

As the Leviathan passed them, several Chitauri warriors were launched from the side ridges and into the nearby buildings where they attacked the civilians inside.

“Tony, are you seeing this?” Steve asked, looking up at the seemingly never-ending surge of Chitauri flyers that filled the air. He wasn’t the only one, Natasha, Clint and Evelyn also looking up at the sky.

_“Seeing.”_ Tony replied. _“Still working on believing.”_

“Honey, you’re going to need to work a little faster.” Evelyn retorted.

_“Where’s Banner?”_ Tony asked, ignoring the pregnant redhead’s quip. _“Has he shown up yet?”_

“Not yet.” Evelyn replied.

“Banner?” Steve asked in confusion, wondering how the siblings were so certain that the scientist would show up.

_“Just keep me posted.”_ Tony ordered. _“JARVIS, find me a soft spot.”_

“Be careful, Tony.” Evelyn said, ducking a weapons blast and firing a fireball at the warrior in retaliation.

_“Aren’t I always?”_ Tony asked cheekily, repeating what she had said only a short time earlier.

“No.” Evelyn said bluntly as Steve protected her from another weapons blast while she leaned around him to throw a series of fireballs.

_“Oh, you wound me, Eves.”_ Tony said playfully.

“Would you like a list chronologically or alphabetically?” Evelyn asked dryly as she, Natasha and Clint ducked behind an abandoned taxi, the pregnant woman in more of a squat to accommodate her rounded belly.

“This is not the time, you two.” Natasha said, breaking through the siblings’ banter and firing her guns at any of the warriors she could see before ducking back behind the cab.

Steve, who had gone ahead to scout their surroundings, returned and joined them behind the taxi. “These things go as far as the eye can see.” He reported.

“We also have civilians still trapped up here.” Clint added, gesturing to the buildings that surrounded them as well as the public transport vehicles that were idling in place among the abandoned cars.

Above them, several flyers flew passed with Loki in the lead.

“Loki.” Steve hissed, watching the Trickster fly out of sight.

Explosions filled the streets as the Chitauri flyers fired at the idling cars below. Civilians screamed in panic as they all ran for cover.

All around them, chaos reigned, unchecked and unchallenged.

“They’re fish in a barrel down there.” Steve said, looking down at the street below them where on-duty officers struggled to stay ahead of the explosions while sending people to safety.

Several warriors dropped down in front of them. Natasha and Clint worked in unison, firing their weapons at the creatures.

“We got this.” Natasha told Evelyn and Steve, ducking back down. “It’s good. You two, go.”

“Do you think you can hold them off?” Steve asked.

Clint looked at them. “Captain, Phoenix.” He said with a grin, notching his bow. “It would be my genuine pleasure.” In one swift move, he shot to his feet, spun around and fired the arrow at one of the warriors, hitting the dead center of its forehead.

The warrior fell over dead. Natasha shot to her feet and fired her dual pistols while Steve jumped onto the hood of the taxi with Evelyn flying above him. As the Captain performed a series of death-defying acrobatics while crossing the distance between the bridge and the group of officers several feet away, Evelyn threw one fireball after another at each of the Chitauri warriors they passed, each blast hitting their mark.

“This is like the raids in ’44 all over again!” Steve called, swinging his shield as a frisbee without breaking his stride and knocking out several Chitauri warriors that approached them.

“I don’t know which raids you’re remembering, but this isn’t anything like those!” Evelyn exclaimed, throwing a series of fireballs in quick succession.

Working in unison to protect each other and fight their opponents just as they had so long ago, Evelyn and Steve reached the barricade formed by the squad cars at the end of the road; most of the officers were firing their service weapons at any of the Chitauri warriors and flyers they could see while the remaining few herded the civilians to safety, struggling to remain calm under the onslaught so as not to incite even further panic.

Steve landed on a squad car near the front of the barricade. “You need men in these buildings.” He said briskly to a pair of officers in front of him that weren’t busy actively shooting. He pointed to the buildings in question while the officers looked at him incredulously, their gaze shifting between the Captain to Evelyn hovering behind him and tossing fireballs. “There are people inside who’ll be running right into the line of fire. You take them to the basements or through the subway. You keep them off the streets.”

“We also need a perimeter as far back as 39th Street.” Evelyn added over her shoulder. Temporarily free of Chitauri warriors, she had turned her attention to the civilians and was manipulating the trees that dotted the sidewalks to form protective shields around the civilians as they ran for cover.

“Yes, Ma’am.” The older officer said, nodding to Evelyn before turning to Steve. “Why the hell should I take orders from you?”

A beam of weapons fire erupted from a nearby building followed by a group of Chitauri warriors leaping out and landing in front of them.

“These things are seriously starting to tick me off!” Evelyn growled angrily, manipulating the trees to form a shield around the officers and the civilians, maintaining it with one hand while creating and tossing fireballs in rapid succession with her other one.

Steve used his shield and the combat skills he had learned during the war to fight against them while blocking the lethal blasts at the same time.

“They hadn’t before now?” Steve asked in mild surprise, knocking the last warrior out with his shield and grabbing its gun from its hand in one swift move.

“Up until now, they were more of a mild irritation.” Evelyn said, rolling her eyes and landing daintily next to Steve on the squad car roof. She turned to the pair of officers who were gaping at them. “Officer?”

The officer spun around and called back to his colleagues and to the other emergency service personnel that had arrived on scene. “I need men in those buildings!” He ordered, gesturing to the buildings in question just as Steve had. “Lead the people down and away from the streets.”

“You got it.” A firefighter said, running off with a small group of firefighters and police officers behind him.

“We’re going to set up a perimeter all the way down to 39th Street.” The officer continued, this time speaking into his radio.

Steve and Evelyn exchanged looks and turned, heading back towards Natasha and Clint, battling the warriors that came across them in the process.


	9. The Avengers Assemble

**Chapter 9: The Avengers Assemble**

High above, Tony flew towards the Leviathan and fired a round of miniature missiles at it. The massive creature roared, tail swiping against a building and sending pieces of debris falling to the ground.

_“Well, we got its attention.”_ Tony said, though it was obvious he wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular over the comms. _“What the hell was step two?”_

“Step two was Phoenix kicking your ass if you got killed.” Clint said helpfully, not pausing his fight against a group of warriors.

Evelyn threw a series of fireballs at the warriors that were converging on the assassins, flying towards them as Steve ran along the cars beneath her.

“Thanks!” Natasha called, using the Chitauri warrior’s own weapon against them after she had disarmed one of them. “How are you doing?”

“I’m okay.” Evelyn replied, landing lightly next to the other redhead and tossing a fireball at a warrior. “The twins have been kicking non-stop and I’ve still been getting the Braxton-Hicks contractions.”

“Ouch.” Clint muttered, wincing sympathetically.

A current of lightning shot down from the sky, branching out and striking several warriors simultaneously. The warriors seized up and fell over, either knocked out or dead as Thor landed on his knee in front of the heroes.

“What’s the story upstairs?” Steve asked as Thor pushed himself to his feet using a nearby car.

“Is there any way to pierce through the barrier surrounding the Cube?” Evelyn asked, moving towards the Thunder God and the Captain. “JARVIS said it was unbreachable.”

“No.” Thor replied. “It remains so.”

_“Eves and Thor are right.”_ Tony called over the comms, zooming passed them with several flyers on his tail. _“We gotta deal with these guys.”_

“How do we do this?” Natasha asked.

“As a team.” Evelyn said.

“I have unfinished business with Loki.” Thor said.

“Yeah? Well, get in line.” Clint retorted, collecting his arrows and keeping the still usable ones while tossing the ones that weren’t.

“I owe him a smack.” Evelyn remarked. “And before you ask, it is not my hormones talking this time. I think.”

“Save it, you guys.” Steve said firmly, ending the forming bickering match before it could start. “Loki’s going to keep this fight focused on us, and that’s what we need. Without him, these things could run wild.” He turned around to face the group. “We got Stark up top. He’s going to need us to…” He trailed off as the sound of an engine rumbling reached them.

The five of them looked to see Bruce driving up on a motorcycle, a helmet on his head. He cut the engine and climbed off the bike, walking towards the group.

“Bruce!” Evelyn cried happily, a bright smile on her face.

“So, this all seems horrible.” The mild-mannered scientist commented as they met in the middle.

“I’ve seen worse.” Natasha commented, looking at him.

“Same.” Steve and Evelyn said in unison.

“As have I.” Thor added.

“Sorry.” Bruce apologized sheepishly.

“No, we could use with a little worse.” Natasha told Bruce.

“Tony, Bruce is here.” Evelyn said into her comm.

“Just like you both said.” Steve remarked impressed.

_“Then tell him to suit up.”_ Tony ordered. _“I’m bringing the party to you.”_

Less than a second later, he flew around the corner and headed straight for them, the Leviathan on his tail. The massive creature swiped the corner of the building as it made the turn, sending debris, dust and glass everywhere.

“I-I don’t see how that’s a party.” Natasha said, shaking her head and looking at the incoming beast.

Tony led it closer to the ground and towards the waiting group, the Leviathan crashing through the idle and abandoned cars.

“Bruce?” Evelyn asked, seeing him walk forward. “Now might be a really good time to get angry.”

“That’s my secret, Evy.” Bruce said over his shoulder with a depreciative smile. “I’m _always_ angry.”

With a low roar, he began to morph, his body growing in size, causing his clothes to become torn and leaving him only wearing a pair of trousers cut-off at the knees and his skin turned completely green.

Curling his hand into a fist, he delivered a mighty punch to the Leviathan when it reached him. The force of the blow combined with the creature’s own momentum pushed Bruce back several feet until he was able to stop directly in front of the assembled team.

“Hold on!” Tony called, firing a small, anti-armor missile from his gauntlet as the back end of the Leviathan flew upwards, arching through the air and curving over the group.

At the same time, Evelyn flew up and formed a massive fireball in her hands that was several inches in diameter before throwing it at the Leviathan as well.

Both attacks hit the mark in quick succession, causing it a series of explosions along its underbelly and sides. Tony pulled Evelyn back and covered her protectively with his body while Steve curled around Natasha with his shield protecting them and Clint ducked behind an overturned van. Thor and Hulk, both largely unaffected by the explosion, merely leaned away from the heat while shifting so that they were between the burning flames and their teammates.

The Leviathan groaned low as it fell over the side of the bridge and onto the street below, twitching for a second before falling completely still. Several warriors that lined the walls of the surrounding buildings roared angrily, Hulk roaring back as Tony and Evelyn lowered down to the ground and filled in the ranks.

The team stood back-to-back in a wide circle, Evelyn forming a fireball in each hand while Clint notched his bow, Thor raised his hammer and Natasha reloaded her guns with fresh clips.

The Avengers had Assembled, and they were ready.

From the still open portal, dozens of Leviathans and hundreds of chariot flyers emerged, making their way down into the city below.

“Guys.” Natasha said nervously.

“Call it, Eves, Captain.” Tony said.

“Steve, it’s your call.” Evelyn said, looking at her former partner.

“All right, listen up.” Steve said firmly, taking the cue. “Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof.” He pointed to the roof in question. “Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Tony, you got the perimeter. Anything gets over three blocks out, turn it back or turn it to ash.”

“Can you give me a lift?” Clint asked Tony.

“Right.” Tony said, nodding. “Eves, be careful.” He said, lifting his visor and looking at his sister.

“You, too.” Evelyn replied. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” He replied with a small smile before lowering his visor once more. He stepped towards Clint and grabbed the back of the archer’s suit. “Better clench up, Legolas.”

“Wha-?” Clint started to ask before ending with a scream as Tony fired his thrusters and shot into the air.

“Thor.” Steve continued, drawing the remainder of the team’s attention. “You gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow ‘em down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up.” Thor nodded and with a final glance at Evelyn, he swung Mjolnir and launched himself into the air. “Evy, Nat, the two of you and me, we stay here. Nat, you and I are on the ground and Evy, you alternate between being with us and just above. We keep the fighting here.” The two redheads nodded in understanding, Evelyn lifting herself up and hovering a few feet off the ground. “And Hulk…” The green giant turned to the Captain. “Smash.” Steve ordered.

Hulk grinned and leapt into the air, a roar echoing in his wake. Orders given and being carried out, Steve, Natasha and Evelyn joined the fray as Chitauri warriors ran towards them.

Minutes passed as the team fought across Manhattan, doing everything they could to stem the seemingly never-ending tide of invaders. Thor stood on the mast of the Empire State Building and summoned a concentrated current of lightning through his hammer before directing it straight at the portal, the currents dancing along the building at the same time. The stream of lightning also destroyed a Leviathan, the resulting explosions setting off a chain reaction that destroyed dozens of flyers and a few more Leviathans. Hulk tossed around each of the warriors he came across like ragdolls while brushing off their weapons fire as though they were flies. From his designated rooftop perch, Clint fired arrow after arrow at the flyers that passed him, calling out warnings to the rest of the team whenever the need arose. Tony flew through the streets, firing his weapons at the warriors and flyers rapidly, blowing them up as he shot passed them.

As the trio on the ground fought off the warriors that surrounded them, Natasha grabbed one of the Chitauri guns and used it to fire a lethal blast at several warriors in conjunction with Evelyn’s fireballs. Hearing a sound behind them, the two redheads spun around, gun and fireball at the ready. They both relaxed slightly when they saw Steve rejoin them after he had been swept several feet away.

“You okay?” Steve asked, noticing that both women were panting and also sported a few new bruises.

“Yeah.” Natasha replied, nodding and breathing heavily.

“Yeah, we’re okay.” Evelyn replied as well, breathing just as heavily as Natasha and bringing her hand to her lower back with a wince. “But all our efforts won’t mean a thing if that portal stays open.”

“Our biggest guns couldn’t touch it.” Steve told them.

“Maybe it’s not about guns.” Natasha suggested.

“If you want to get up there, you’re gonna need a ride.” Steve said, realizing what the redheaded assassin was saying.

“I got a ride.” Natasha said, walking to the opposite side of the bridge. “I could use a boost, though.”

Steve moved several paces back until he was directly in front of the bridge railing, Natasha across from him. “You sure about this?” He asked as Evelyn moved back several feet as well so that the three of them formed a triangle of sorts.

“Yeah. It’s gonna be fun.” Natasha replied.

“You don’t sound very convincing.” Evelyn pointed out.

Natasha didn’t reply, instead running head on towards Steve. She jumped up and, using the idle car nearby as a booster, bounced off of the Captain’s shield as Evelyn gathered the air currents beneath the assassin’s feet and propelled her higher up. Natasha grabbed onto the underside of a chariot flyer as it passed and was soon out of sight.

“When did this become our lives?” Steve wondered aloud.

“Honestly, I stopped asking myself that question around the time we took out the HYDRA bases throughout Europe in ‘44.” Evelyn admitted, shaking her head. A Leviathan passed over them, Hulk on its back and fighting off several warriors. “Having fun?” Evelyn called, throwing a fireball at an approaching warrior on the ground.

“Hulk smash!” Hulk roared happily, grabbing a pair of warriors in his large hand, rocking them like ragdolls before tossing them over the side and onto the street below. The warriors hit the paved ground and didn’t get back up.

“Go help him, Evy. I’ll be fine.” Steve said, flinging his shield like a frisbee and knocking several approaching warriors out.

Evelyn nodded and flew up, landing lightly on the Leviathan’s back and firing several fireballs in quick succession at the warriors.

“Pretty Bird, careful.” Hulk said. “Pretty Bird carry babies, carry Little Gods.”

“I have you, Hulk.” Evelyn said simply, smiling up at the green giant while waving her hands and causing a wave of air to blow several warriors off the Leviathan. “You’ll watch my back and protect the babies.”

“Hulk protect Little Gods.” Hulk declared, punching a warrior and knocking it over the side.

Thor landed next to them on the Leviathan, using his hammer to knock the warriors back just as Hulk tore off a piece of the spinal fin and embedded it into the hull.

“How do you fare?” The Thunder God asked, looking at Evelyn while firing a bolt of lightning at a few of the warriors.

“I’m as big as a house, look like I swallowed a planet, working up towards exhausted, still having Braxton-Hicks contractions, your babies are kicking me non-stop and these things are still pissing me off!” Evelyn ended her statement with a furious yell, spinning on the balls of her bare feet and blasting a wave of air that knocked the remaining warriors off the Leviathan. She turned and looked back at Thor. “Other than that, I am very well.” She said cheerfully, smiling brightly.

"Pretty Bird scary." Hulk commented, tossing the warriors he had been swinging around over the side.

“Indeed. You are a very frightening woman.” Thor agreed, staring at her in amazement.

Evelyn just smiled sweetly. Thor shook his head and spun on his feet, swinging his hammer down on the piece of spinal fin that Hulk had embedded into the hull and sending a current of lightning through the creature. The Leviathan let out a bellow and fell, crashing through the wall of a nearby building and skidding to a stop in the center of what turned out to be the foyer of Central Bank.

“Well, that’s another one down.” Evelyn commented as she, Hulk and Thor stepped off the Leviathan, all three of them breathing heavily. “Only another million to go.”

Hulk grunted and without warning, punched Thor, sending him flying several feet to the side.

“Hulk!” Evelyn cried reproachfully as the green giant grinned. “Thor, you all right?”

“I’m fine!” Thor called back, having crashed through another wall and landed out in the street.

Evelyn flew out of the building with Hulk climbing over the still Leviathan and joining her outside. While he tossed around the warriors that approached, Evelyn flew higher up and fired several fireballs at the flyers she could see chasing after Natasha. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see lightning blasts not far from where she was indicating that Thor had rejoined the fight.

_“Hawkeye! Phoenix!”_ Natasha called over the comms.

_“Nat, what are you doing?”_ Clint asked incredulously.

_“A little help!”_ Natasha shouted instead of replying.

Clint notched his bow while Evelyn flew up and formed a fireball in her hand.

“Waiting for your cue, Hawkeye.” Evelyn said.

There was a moment’s pause as Clint waited patiently for his shot to line up. _“I got him.”_ He said finally, firing his arrow.

Loki caught the arrow without even looking right before it hit him in the face. He looked at it with a raised eyebrow.

_“Phoenix.”_ Clint called, a smirk on his face.

Evelyn grinned and threw the fireball at Loki, causing his chariot to explode. He flew through the air and crashed on the veranda of Stark Tower just as Natasha dropped from the flyer she was riding and landed on the roof. Hulk roared and leapt into the air, rapidly crossing the distance between the bank and Stark Tower while Evelyn covered his back by throwing fireballs at any of the warriors that got near him.

Once he was out of sight, she blasted a wave of air at the group of warriors converging on her, sending them flying backwards before flying up towards the Tower herself.

She landed on the roof a few seconds later, finding Natasha looking at the generator and searching for a way to turn it off while Dr. Selvig lay in a heap against the wall.

“I’m not sure how to turn this thing off.” Natasha admitted as Evelyn checked on the elderly scientist.

“The Scepter…” Dr. Selvig groaned.

“It’s okay, Dr. Selvig. Just take it easy.” Evelyn soothed, helping the elderly man sit up.

“Loki’s Scepter.” The elderly scientist continued. “The energy. The Tesseract can’t fight, but you can’t protect against yourself.”

“I know you probably don’t believe me, but it’s not your fault.” Evelyn said gently.

“Evy’s right.” Natasha agreed. “You didn’t know what you were doing.”

“Actually, I think I did.” Dr. Selvig admitted. “I built in a safety to cut their power source.”

“Loki’s Scepter.” Natasha said in realization as Evelyn gaped at the scientist.

“It may be able to close the portal.” Dr. Selvig said, nodding. He looked down over the edge of the roof. “And I’m looking right at it.”

“Wait here.” Evelyn said, getting to her feet. She leapt off the roof and floated down to the veranda, grabbed the Scepter before flying back up.

“Right at the crown!” Dr. Selvig said, pointing to the spot when she landed back on the roof.

“Evy, let me do it.” Natasha said, holding her hands out for the Scepter. “You’re pregnant and there’s no telling what it can do.”

Evelyn nodded and handed the Scepter to the assassin before moving back several feet. Natasha pressed the tip at the barrier and began pushing against it, piercing through the field after several seconds of effort.

“Natasha’s closing it.” Evelyn called into her comms. “Does anyone copy. Natasha’s closing the portal.”

_“Do it!”_ Steve ordered frantically.

_“No, wait._ ” Tony countered.

“Tony, these things are still coming and there’s no end in sight!” Evelyn said.

_“I got a nuke coming in.”_ Tony told them. _“It’s gonna blow in less than a minute.”_

_“Did he say ‘nuke’?”_ Clint asked in alarm.

“What idiot ordered a nuclear missile to be sent into a populated zone?!” Evelyn shrieked.

_“Most likely the Council.”_ Tony replied dryly. _“And I know just where to put this thing.”_

For several tense seconds, they waited for Tony arrive with the missile, Evelyn wringing her fingers nervously. Finally, he flew passed them with it on his back, flying up the column of light and through the portal.

Again, they waited, anxious and desperate for the man to return. Meanwhile, all around them, the Chitauri warriors and Leviathans alike collapsed as though they were connected to a type of Hive-mind.

Evelyn didn’t notice though, far more concerned as the seconds ticked by with no sign of her nephew. “Come on, baby, where are you?” She muttered under her breath; her gaze fixed on the portal.

_“Close it.”_ Steve ordered softly.

“What? No!” Evelyn cried. “Steve, Tony’s still up there!”

_“Stella, the city.”_ Steve said softly, his voice filled with sympathy. _“We can’t keep that portal open much longer.”_

“Just a few more seconds, please!” Evelyn pleaded, tears in her eyes and streaming down her face. “He’s my baby. Please, he’s my baby!”

_“I’m sorry, Stella.”_ Steve said apologetically, hating himself for what he was doing to his best friend. _“Black Widow, close it.”_ He ordered.

“NO!” Evelyn screamed, falling to her knees, supported only by Dr. Selvig who quickly ran to her and wrapped his arms around her before she could fall completely.

Natasha gritted her teeth, not because of the pressure of pressing the Scepter against the barrier and piercing it, but because of anguish she could hear in the pregnant woman’s cries.

Evelyn panted heavily; her hands pressed against her protruding belly where the babies kicked frantically in response to her emotions. She groaned in pain, grabbing Dr. Selvig’s hands from where they were on her waist and squeezed them tightly as another wave of Braxton-Hicks contractions rocked through her, this time stronger than any of the previous ones.

“Dr. Stark, you need to try and relax.” He said soothingly, rubbing her back with one hand while letting her squeeze his other one. “The stress is not good for the baby.”

“Babies.” Evelyn corrected absently, leaning heavily against him. “I’m carrying twins.”

“The stress is _definitely_ not good.” Dr. Selvig said.

Natasha pressed the Scepter against the crown just below the Tesseract and shut off the generator, the column of light fading out. With a rumbling sound, the portal sealed closed and Evelyn let out a sob, turning and burying her face in the elderly scientist’s chest.

“Evy, it’s Tony!” Natasha cried excitedly. “Look!”

Evelyn looked up and saw Tony falling through the sky. “Oh, thank God!” She breathed in relief. The relief was short-lived however as she noticed something very, _very_ wrong. “He’s not slowing down!” She cried in alarm.

She moved away from Dr. Selvig and Natasha, gathering the air currents at her feet and shooting into the air, flying towards Tony’s falling form. Before she reached him however, Hulk, who had climbed up the side of the building closest to the billionaire, reached out and caught him before making his way back down. Evelyn followed after him, landing on the debris-filled streets just as the green giant crashed into the ground, curled protectively around Tony’s limp form.

“Tony!” She shouted, running towards him, uncaring of the stoned and pebbles pressing into her bare feet.

Thor and Steve turned the corner and ran towards them, reaching just as Hulk let go of Tony and sat up. Thor reached down and tore off the visor, revealing the billionaire’s features; his eyes were closed and his face almost peaceful.

“Come on, baby, wake up.” Evelyn pleaded under her breath, falling to her knees beside him. She tried to lean over him to check if he was breathing but her belly got in the way. “Steve, I can’t check.” She said frantically.

“It’s okay, I got it.” Steve said reassuringly, kneeling next to her.

“Come Evelyn, give him room.” Thor said gently, holding his hand out to Evelyn. She shakily reached out and took it, letting him help her to her feet.

As Steve checked Tony for signs of life, Thor wrapped his arm around Evelyn in support. The tiny woman was trembling, barely able to stay upright, and pleading under her breath for Tony to be alive, tears streaming down her face without pause.

The God of Thunder was confused at what Evelyn had said during her pleas to the Captain, the way she referred to Tony was not as a sister, rather almost _maternal_ in nature. He wondered what their relationship truly was; it was obvious it was familial, but what exactly he didn’t know. There were also the little things that she, Steve and Tony had let slip over the past two days, from the way Evelyn and Steve behaved around one another to the way she had reacted to certain words and her words in the lab when it was revealed what Furious Nick and his organization had planned for the Tesseract to the name Steve had called her only a few minutes earlier. All of it indicated that there was far more to their story than what was revealed.

Steve shot up, his eyes wide and his hands shaking.

“S-Steve?” Evelyn asked in a quiet and shaky voice.

He just shook his head mutely, his eyes still wide and his face taking on an ashy pallor.

“No. Not my baby.” Evelyn breathed in despair, shaking her head. Her legs buckled beneath her, unable to support her weight and it was only Thor’s arms around her that kept her upright. She buried her head into his chest, crying uncontrollably while he rubbed her back soothingly.

Hulk looked at Evelyn sadly, each cry she uttered piercing his heart. The Pretty Bird, who carried the Little Gods, was crying because Tony wasn’t waking up. Frowning, he roared loudly.

Tony woke with a gasped scream. Evelyn whipped her head around and stared stunned at him, being supported by Thor when her legs threatened to give out again, this time in shock.

“What the hell?” Tony gasped.

“You’re alive.” Evelyn breathed in relief.

“What just happened?” Tony asked. “Please tell me nobody kissed me.”

“Do you _see_ Pepper here?” Evelyn asked him rhetorically, kneeling down and taking his hand, holding it tightly since she wasn’t able to hug him while he was in his armor.

“Good point.” He muttered, groaning at the aches and pains his body began registering. He noticed the tear stains on her face, marking the tracks through the grime of the battle that covered her features. “What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly.

“I’m almost lost you.” She said quietly, tears once again filling her eyes. “When you went through that portal, you nearly didn’t make it out again.”

“I’m sorry for making you worry, Aunt Stell.” Tony said earnestly; unable to wipe away her tears, or even _move_ for that matter, all he could do was speak to his distraught aunt.

Thor’s eyes widened in surprise at the title though he realized that it made sense, in a way. While he didn’t know how Evelyn could be Tony’s aunt, it did make him understand many of their interactions and how she was able to control him with a firm, yet gentle hand in a way that wasn’t possible between siblings.

“But not for going through the portal.” Evelyn stated.

“No.” Tony confirmed, shaking his head.

“You know, that’s your father in you.” She said, wiping away her tears and giving a small laugh. “But you know what? We won.”

“All right, yay!” Tony said weakly. “Hurray. Good job, guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day.” He winced. “Have you ever tried shawarma?” He asked randomly.

Evelyn and Steve looked at each other and shook their heads exasperatedly, both laughing lightly.

“That is definitely _not_ from his father.” The Captain remarked, referring to the change in topics.

“No, that’s all Tony.” Evelyn said fondly.

“There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here.” Tony continued. “I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.”

“We’re not finished yet.” Thor reminded them.

“No, we have one more thing left to do.” Evelyn agreed. Thor put his hand out to her, and she took it, letting him help her up.

“And then shawarma after.” Tony said.

“And then shawarma after.” Evelyn promised.

Steve helped Tony upright while Evelyn helped the billionaire recharge the arc reactor with the backup power. As soon as the armored man was once again able to move within the confines of the suit, they made their way back towards Stark Tower, joined by Clint on the way.

The trip was made in silence, Thor supporting Evelyn with one arm around her waist as they walked through the city; none of those with flight capabilities had the energy to carry those that couldn’t fly so they had settled on crossing the distance by foot. It was a slow trek, but none of them were overly hurried since Loki wasn’t going anywhere, especially as JARVIS reported that Natasha was keeping an eye on him until the rest of them arrived, though the Trickster was still where the Hulk had left him.

Eventually though, they reached the Tower and the Avengers gathered together in the common area of the penthouse watching as Loki pulled himself from where Hulk had left him, which turned out to be a decent sized _hole_ in the middle of the room. Tony stood on one end with Hulk behind him and slightly to the left followed by Steve, Clint in the center directly in front of the Trickster, Thor, then Natasha holding Scepter tightly and finally Evelyn, seated on one of the leather chairs so she was off her feet.

Loki groaned and winced in pain, stiffly turning around when he heard the distinct hiss of an arrow being notched and the string drawn back. It was Clint, his arrow aimed directly at his heart.

“Good morning.” Evelyn said cheerfully, waving at him.

“If it’s all the same to you,” The Trickster said, looking between Evelyn and Tony on either side of the assembled group. He let out a pained breath. “I’ll have that drink now.”

Hulk growled and Loki flinched back instinctively, vividly remembering his encounter with the green giant only a short time earlier.


	10. Epilogue: Parting Ways

**Epilogue: Parting Ways**

_May 5th_ _, 2012_

The next day, after handing the Scepter over to STRIKE, a SHIELD covert-ops team, and having the shawarma that Tony had wanted for dinner, the Avengers walked through Central Park as the mid-morning sun shone down on them. A small group of SHIELD agents stood guard at a distance, keeping an eye on their surroundings for the team that had saved the world the previous day.

Evelyn was next to Tony in, dressed in civilian clothes like the others except for the Asgardians who were in their armor. While Tony was in a light grey suit with a light blue shirt and slightly darker blue tie, black shades over his eyes, Evelyn was in a crème and black cap-sleeved pencil dress with a crème-colored wrap over her shoulders, crème 4” heeled suede pumps and a pearl and diamond bracelet on her right wrist*. Her long hair was tied away from her face in a half-pony held by a crème-colored ribbon, while the rest was left loose to tumble around her shoulders and down her back. She had her beige purse handing off one shoulder, over the wrap, while dragging a simple, small black carry-on suitcase* behind her. It was filled with a few changes of clothes, toiletries and personal items, having sensibly pointed out when Tony commented on her ‘traveling light’ that she would outgrow the clothes she had within the next few weeks due to her ever-growing belly, so there really wasn’t a point in taking too many things.

Thor, a few feet away from the siblings and firmly holding a chained Loki, his mouth forced shut by an Asgardian Collar, by the elbow, had added that anything Evelyn needed or wanted would be provided for her. It was obvious the statement was more to reassure and comfort the billionaire than the pregnant woman as she had additionally pointed out that the three of them were going to Asgard via Tesseract and there was only so much it could safely transport, even for a powerful item.

Dr. Selvig removed a cylindrical container from the SHIELD van while Tony opened the silver briefcase he was holding, and Bruce lifted the Tesseract with a pair of fire tongs. Both scientists were dressed in button-down shirts, Bruce in a pale yellow with tan trousers and Dr. Selvig in royal blue with a darker blue sweater over it and dark grey trousers. Carefully, the mild-mannered scientist placed the Cube within the container and closed it. Dr. Selvig held it out to Thor who grasped it by the handle and supported it with his other arm, smiling gratefully at the elderly man who had shown him much wisdom and love in the time they had known each other.

While Dr. Selvig had certainly been shocked to learn that the babies the Stark Heiress carried where Thor’s, he was more horrified to learn at how it had occurred as he knew of the method Bruce had mentioned. When Thor expressed his fears of how Jane would react, considering the not-so-subtle torch the feisty woman held for him, and whether he was making the right choice, Dr. Selvig had bluntly told him that if he didn’t take Evelyn with him, then she would definitely die giving birth to the babies, and they would possibly die as well. At least on Asgard, there was a chance, however small, that they would survive, or at least the babies would as they had been Evelyn’s primary concern. He then reassured the worried God that he would explain everything to Jane. Other then that, all they could do was hope the woman accepted the reality of the situation.

“It’s time.” Thor said gently, looking at Evelyn. “You need to say your goodbyes, Evelyn.”

Evelyn let out a shaky breath and turned to Tony. “Bye, Tony.” She said in an equally shaky voice, tears filling her eyes.

“Bye, Aunt Stell.” He said, his voice just as shaky as hers. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug, as tightly as he possibly could with her swollen belly between them. Pulling apart, he bent down, pressed a kiss to his fingers before placing that hand gently on her bump. “You two be good for Mommy, okay? Now, if you want to drive your Daddy insane, that’s fine, but you look after Mommy.”

In the aftermath of the battle, Evelyn and Tony had revealed to the team and Dr. Selvig the truth about their family and who Evelyn really was. The revelation was met with mixed reactions of shock and realization – the former was due to the fact that Evelyn had also been a recipient of the Super Serum and that Evelyn Stark was in fact Estelle Stark while the latter was due to the dots finally being connected with the news; most of them had figured that there was more to the Stark Family and the story that was told to the world, especially because of the slipups over the past few days.

“Oi!” Evelyn cried indignantly, slapping Tony lightly on the arm. “Don’t give them ideas before they’re even born!” She paused, realizing what she had said. “On second thought, don’t give them such ideas, period!” She backtracked hurriedly.

The small group laughed, a glimmer of light-heartedness in the midst of the sorrow-filled moment. Steve stepped forward, dressed in a light grey and blue plaid shirt with a brown leather jacket over top and tan trousers. He hugged Evelyn tightly, also being mindful of the bump.

“Goodbye, Stella.” He said softly, pulling back. He took a breath and let it out. “It feels like I just got you back and now I’m losing you again.”

“Tell me about it.” Evelyn said with a tearful laugh. “I spent almost 70 years thinking you were dead and then several months only speaking to you over the phone when I found out you were alive.”

Steve stepped back and Natasha and Clint took his place, both assassins hugging Evelyn gently one after another.

“Look after Tony for me, please?” Evelyn asked them. “When you’re out in the field together? Pepper looks after him the rest of the time, but when he’s in the field…” She trailed off.

“Don’t worry.” Natasha reassured her. “We’ll look after your baby for you.”

The redheaded assassin grinned cheekily at the billionaire who only made a face at her in response.

“Look after yourself.” Clint said gently. “The babies need you at 110%.”

Bruce stepped forward and took his turn, hugging her gently as Clint and Natasha moved away.

“Thank you, Evelyn.” He said softly into her ear before pulling back. “Pretty Bird.”

Evelyn nodded in response and they separated. She turned to Dr. Selvig, the older scientist standing a short distance away and watching the farewells, having already said his own to Thor. The man moved towards her and pulled her into a gentle, brief hug before pulling away.

“I know you have looked after yourself and Tony for the past several years, but let Thor look after you now.” He said softly to her, his voice pitched so only she could hear him.

“I’ll try.” Evelyn promised. “Goodbye, Dr. Selvig.”

“I think you can call me ‘Erik’ from now on, Dr. Stark.” The scientist said with a small laugh. “Especially after what we had all been through these past few days.”

“Then please call me ‘Evy’.” Evelyn said.

Erik nodded and they moved apart. Evelyn shouldered her purse properly before grabbing her suitcase and joining Thor and Loki. She grasped the handle of the container and Thor adjusted his hold so that his hand was covering hers before he held it out to his brother. Loki glared at him but grasped the opposite handle tightly.

With a final nod to the gathered group and a wave from Evelyn, Thor twisted the handle he and the redhead were holding. They were engulfed in a bright blue light before being beamed upwards and disappearing from sight.

_Links:_

_*Evelyn civilian outfit (hair in a half-pony held with a crème-colored ribbon) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AW1MVSn_S5wHfRPlaTahTQrE_71PXBFclWyFRjgcfU3vViKYOFaAhzI/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/AW1MVSn_S5wHfRPlaTahTQrE_71PXBFclWyFRjgcfU3vViKYOFaAhzI/)

 _*Evelyn’s suitcase (black) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/551057704405898024/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/551057704405898024/)


End file.
